March 2017 | Baltimore Beacon

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MARCH 2017

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Shall we dance? Absolutely!

I N S I D E …

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER MEYER

By Carol Sorgen and Danielle Rexroad Christine and Lee Gedansky began ballroom dancing lessons in 1991 in preparation for their wedding. Unlike most couples, though, they never stopped dancing.

In 2002, they decided to establish their own dance studio, Beginning Ballroom, “to bring real dancing to real people,” said Lee, who will soon turn 50.

Throughout their marriage, the Gedanskys have continued dancing, taking lessons not only in Baltimore but in Los Angeles, New York and New Orleans, as well as competing in regional dance competitions as their skills developed.

In addition to offering classes in their own studio on Evesham Avenue (by appointment only), they have also taught at local health and community centers, colleges, and assisted living and retirement communities.

Gedansky likens ballroom (or partner) dancing to musical standards, such as those performed by Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. “It’s not mainstream, like hip-hop, but it has longevity,” he said.

The Gedanskys have students of all ages — from millennials who are preparing for their own wedding day, to dancers in their 50s, 60s and beyond, some of whom are re-marrying and want their moment in the spotlight.

Take Melissa and Tom Hopkins, who began dance lessons with the Gedanskys in 2010 for their then-upcoming wedding.

“We wanted to have a nice first dance for our own wedding,” said Melissa, 52. Since then, the couple has returned to Beginning Ballroom twice (for 10-lesson packages) as a refresher for their daughters’ weddings.

The Hopkinses found that it didn’t matter that neither of them had had any previous dance experience, or that Tom “has no sense of rhythm or timing!” according to Melissa.

Unlike the Gedanskys, the Hopkinses don’t intend to make a career of dancing nor do they go out specifically to dance.

“But when we’re at a function with dancing,” said Melissa, “we feel so much more confident on the dance floor.

“We’ve danced on cruises, at parties, weddings, etc., confident that we can move across the dance floor with some grace.

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L E I S U R E & T R AV E L

St. Augustine, Fla., America’s oldest city; plus, Athens in the off season (fewer crowds), retiring abroad, and using credit cards overseas page 20

Christine and Lee Gedansky teach dance to students of all ages at Beginning Ballroom, a studio they started in 2002. Regular dancing can improve not just one’s balance and cardiovascular health, but also memory, according to researchers.

We’re able to enjoy ourselves without being self-conscious.”

Dancing for fun and health Dancing is not only great fun, but it also improves brain and muscle memory, according to Barbara Pattillo, owner of Towson Dance Studio.

“Dancing is ideal for balance and coordination, especially because it involves musicality, rhythm and timing,” she said.

“And then there is the aspect of physical fitness, of course, especially with faster dances such as swing, salsa, samba, quickstep and Viennese waltz.”

One of Pattillo’s students, Johns Hopkins neurologist Dr. Majid Fotuhi, noted that ballroom dancing is also a great memory aid in his book The Memory Cure: How

to Protect Your Brain Against Memory Loss and Alzheimer’s Disease. Fotuhi recommends dancing because it joins together physical activity, socialization and remembering steps.

According to Fotuhi, who began taking ballroom dancing lessons while a student at Harvard Medical School, lifestyle changes — such as exercising both your brain and your body and remaining socially engaged — all contribute to a healthy brain as we age.

Research supports this claim. For example, scientists from Western Sydney University’s School of Science and Health in Australia found in a study of more than 48,000 people over 40 that those who danced over See DANCING, page 28

ARTS & STYLE

Sykesville couple designs an artistic life; plus, the American Visionary Arts Museum’s Small Foods Party and Contest page 26 TECHNOLOGY 3 k You can forget most passwords FITNESS & HEALTH k Diet tips from the pros k When a cough won’t quit

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LAW & MONEY 16 k Tax breaks to use; scams to avoid k Must kids pay for parents’ care?

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Letters to the editor Readers are encouraged to share their opinion on any matter addressed in the Beacon as well as on political and social issues of the day. Mail your Letter to the Editor to The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915, or e-mail to barbara@thebeaconnewspapers.com. Please include your name, address and telephone number for verification.

Publisher’s note: As promised, we present this month a selection from the lengthy letters to the editor we received in response to my recent columns on Social Security and assisted suicide. To provide more space, I am refraining from penning a new column this month.

Dear Editor: I hear your discussions with Eric Stewart on Mr. Stewart’s Sunday morning program, which I have listened to for many years, and located your [January 2017 From the Publisher column about Social Security] on your website.

I opened the link to Wharton’s policy position on saving Social Security.

The Wharton position does not address the most important and critical change: the Federal government must immediately stop spending the FICA tax withholdings!

No more issuing Treasury bonds in exchange for the FICA taxes. Invest the funds in a highly diversified stock market fund. Had this occurred fifty years ago today’s problem would not exist.

Wharton offers six solutions to the Social Security deficit. [One is the] Progressive Benefit Reduction. This is the ‘Means

Test’ analysis, i.e., your benefit will be based on your other income and likely net worth.

This idea upsets me greatly. I started working when I was 8 years old, living on a dairy farm. I had my first paying job cleaning the coal bin at the local high school at age 13. At age 17, I was working construction, and had a family and children by age 20.

I began paying into Social Security before the enactment of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). My very low income was not “means tested,” and during my struggles for many years my FICA was withheld from my paycheck no matter how difficult our finances were.

In 1989, I was unemployed, work was scarce where I was living, and I was offered a good job in another state. I moved my family of my wife and four small children, only to discover that the employer had offered me the position in hopes of landing a contract in which he would need someone with my skills, but he was not awarded the contract.

We literally had spent every dollar and borrowed some to move. We had not a dol-

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lar to our name. I swallowed my pride and applied for food stamps, but since we had not established the necessary 90-day residency, we were denied.

That night I heard my children cry themselves to sleep because they were hungry. That was nearly 30 years ago, but I am reduced to shame every time I recall the sound. The government did not “means test” my income when I finally returned to work; no, I paid the required FICA regardless of my means to pay, which in those days was quite limited.

Hell has not seen a day so cold as when I, and millions of others, will sit silent when the government “means tests” our Social Security. I will do everything legally in my power to object.

If the government wishes to save Social Security, several tangible and necessary steps must be enacted: A. As described above, the immediate stop to the Congressional spending of FICA tax receipts. Invest the funds in a highly diversified stock market account managed by professional managers.

B. Eliminate the national debt by cutting the federal budget. The reductions to federal agencies would replace those Social Security funds wasted on agencies over the years.

C. Eliminate fraud in the Social Security system. Find and punish those who have unlawfully received Social Security benefits, including a permanent ban on future benefits.

D. Taxing other than earned income.

Perhaps real estate transactions, the sale of stocks and other investments, even 501(c) organizations should be taxed on their receipts. (Frankly, I think the 501(c) provision is the tax code has been so misused it should be eliminated.)

Congress has avoided this disaster for too long. The changes necessary to save Social Security will require many difficult and painful choices. Hopefully (but unlikely) Congress will be forced to change Social Security’s underlying fundamentals.

I enjoy the Beacon, quite thought provoking!

Louis Peasley via email Dear Editor: Per the challenge to your readers last month: to have the conversation and think about end-of-life issues [From the Publisher, “Dignity vs. quality of life”], I assure you that I have thought about it long and hard.

A new bill will be introduced to the legislature this session that would allow a person of sound mind who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness by two doctors, and requests both verbally and in writing (with a 15-day waiting period), to receive a prescription for life-ending medication. There must be two witnesses to the request (at least one of whom is not a relative or has any financial interest) and the medication must be self-administered.

A similar law has been in effect in Oregon for 18 years, and statistics show that out of the 510,000 Oregonians who died

between 1998 and 2014, only 859 hastened their death by a doctor’s legal prescription, less than 0.2 percent. No one is forced to request the meds. No physician, pharmacist, or facility has to participate if it is against their philosophy.

And if one requests the drugs and takes possession of them, there is no mandate to take them. This is meant to allow a dying person some choice and autonomy at the end of life.

I was concerned that your editorial referred to a growing number of suicides, and tied ending life with prescribed medication to suicide. Many suicides occur because of psychological rather than terminal illness. Suicide is done in private because it is secretive, often very messy, and a horror for the family — particularly the friend or family member who discovers a suicide victim. If anyone knows about or aids in suicide, it is illegal and subject to prosecution.

Sometimes people commit suicide because they become ill, and the fear of the unknown and concern for what might be an untenable future is so very scary.

The end-of-life medication option is just one of the options, including hospice care, stopping eating and drinking, or ending all medical treatment, and all must be explained to the patient requesting life-ending drugs as described in the legislation.

I don’t know if I would ever use this law since I have no idea what the future holds for me. I am usually quite happy to let the universe unfold in a more natural way. But I would like to know that there is a safety net in case either physical or psychological pain was to become unbearable.

The Oregon statistics also show that often when people have the prescription available, they are less stressed and more able to continue with their lives, even with harsh circumstances.

The bottom line is that, even if this is something that you would never consider doing, do you think that it should be legal for me to have a life-ending medication option if I fall within the parameters of carefully thought-out legislation? A similar law passed in California (2015), Colorado (November 2016) and voted favorably (11 to 2) in Washington, D.C. Norma Cohen Mt. Washington Dear Editor: I just want to thank you for publishing the events in Baltimore for Black History Month (“Baltimore celebrates Black History Month, February”).

They are all interesting and relevant. In particular, my sister and I will visit the “Sons” exhibit at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, which I would not have known about had I not seen it in your paper.

Also, as a journalist, the listings have helped to provide me with ideas to pursue for interviews for Black History Month for a radio news program I host that broadcasts to Africa. I will add that I enjoy reading your publication on a regular basis.

Kim Lewis Baltimore

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

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Technology &

Innovations Get serious to protect against identity theft

By Anya Kamenetz Having someone else pretend to be you is now something that has probably happened to you or to someone you know.

And it’s not as fun as it sounds.

According to Bankrate, a financial website, 41 million U.S. adults have now had their identities stolen, and another 49 million know someone who has.

Having your credit card used without your permission is the commonest, and in some ways the mildest, form of ID theft. That’s because your bank’s fraud alert system will likely notify you, cancel the charges, and get you a new card before you lose any money.

Letting someone get a hold of your Social Security number, date of birth and other biographical information is much worse. You can be liable for thousands of dollars in charges, it can ruin your credit, and once the information is out there changing hands, these violations can be repeated again and again.

I called up one of Bankrate’s analysts, Mike Cetera, for information on how to avoid this fate.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake people make that exposes them to identity theft?

A: The key one here is using the same or similar passwords [across websites].

And I think this is a big deal right now because of the Yahoo breach. [Last fall, the Internet company Yahoo! confirmed that information on 500 million customer accounts had been stolen.]

Our survey found that a little bit more than a quarter of people use exactly or mostly the same password across accounts. This is a bad idea.

Q: So what should people do to keep passwords secure?

A: It’s a good idea to create strong and unique passwords.

Q: Is it safest to keep them written down on paper in my house?

A: Yes, it’s more secure than [keeping them] anywhere electronic. But a lot of people have way more accounts than they realize.

Q: So what’s an alternative? You tried a free online password manager, right? [See “Password managers make ID security simple” on page 4.]

A: After we ran the survey, I decided to download a password manager myself. I

went through the process of having it look through all my online accounts — I had 109 of them! — and translate them to unique and difficult passwords to break. I’m going to be honest, it took me three hours to get it all done, but it’s done now. And I only have

to remember one password.

Q: You found that 36 percent of survey respondents are using unsecured wi-fi networks for personal business, like banking. Tell me what that looks like and why that’s a problem.

A: So when you go to your local coffee shop and they have free wi-fi, if you must use that network, don’t do anything sensitive.

Don’t log onto your bank account. Don’t look See IDENTITY THEFT, page 5

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

BEACON BITS

Mar. 31+

LIGHT UP BALTIMORE Light City is a free festival Friday, March 31 through Saturday,

April 8, that transforms Baltimore with large-scale light installations, performances, music and innovation. Central to Light City is the 1.5-mile BGE Light Art Walk along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, featuring more than 50 attractions, including illuminated sculptures, projections, interactive technologies, performances, concerts, food vendors and a children’s area. Light City is open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weeknights, and from 7 p.m. until midnight on weekends. A list of available opportunities to participate in the festival can be seen at www.lightcity.org.

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As a podiatrist with over 30 years experience, I have always focused on non-surgical treatment of foot and leg pain. I find that most people with foot or leg symptoms (arthritic, aching, burning, cramping or difficulty walking) , even those who have had other treatments, including surgery of the foot (or back), can be helped, usually in 1 or 2 visits.

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Password managers make ID security simple Who has the time to come up with (and remember) difficult-to-decipher passwords for all of their online accounts? One solution is to use a password-management system that stores all of your passwords in a single file.

All you need to remember is one master password (your dog’s name is not a good choice) to access all of your other user names and passwords. Most password managers offer a free basic version; you’ll need to update (and pay) to use the service on multiple devices.

Unfortunately, these programs aren’t bulletproof. In 2015, LastPass, one of the most popular password-management systems, announced that its network had been hacked, exposing users’ e-mail addresses and password reminders. The company said encrypted master passwords were not compromised, although users were prompted to change them anyway.

Despite this, LastPass remains PC

Magazine’s number one choice in 2017 for password management. The magazine recommended LastPass because of new features that include a “sharing center” that helps manage shared passwords, and a way to hand down your passwords to heirs. The free version is better than some paid options, the magazine noted.

Also recommended is LogMeOnce, which offers alternative login formats that don’t even use a master password, including logging in with a selfie.

If you’re uncomfortable storing your passwords in the cloud, there are alternatives. KeePass stores all of your passwords in an encrypted file on your computer. As is the case with the cloud-based systems, you use a master password to access the file. Just make sure your computer is protected from hackers with strong antivirus software, or you’ll lose the benefits of storing your passwords locally.

— Kiplinger’s Personal Finance with additional reporting by Barbara Ruben

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Baltimore Humane Society provides for the care of suffering and homeless animals. It operates an animal shelter, spay-neuter center, memorial park and wildlife sanctuary. For information on making donations and/or volunteering, call (410) 833-8848 or visit www.bmorehumane.org.

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at your credit card statements. The bad guys have the means to break into these free networks and watch what you’re doing.

Q: And you also found that 42 percent of adults aren’t checking their credit reports regularly for unauthorized accounts.

A: Yes, and a lot more privacy experts I speak with are saying that you should put a freeze on your credit. That means no new lenders have access to your credit report, so no one can take out a loan or open an account without contacting you for permission first.

Q: Really? I thought credit freezes were for people who had already been

BEACON BITS

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From page 3

victims of identity theft.

A: I feel like there’s a switch in philosophies here. Experts are saying, I know this is kind of a hassle, but it’s really not a bad idea to have it all the time, even if you don’t suspect you’ve been a victim.

Q: OK, I’ll have to consider it. Any good news in the survey?

A: I think one of the things most Americans do tend to get right is, when you get important information in the mail, say from the Social Security Administration or a credit card application, shred it. About 71 percent of U.S. adults are doing that.

Anya Kamenetz welcomes your questions at diyubook@gmail.com. © 2016 Anya Kamenetz. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Identity theft

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Health Fitness &

IMMUNITY IQ Do you believe Vitamin C cuts colds and dairy causes congestion? Read this IS SEX TOO EXPENSIVE? Prices have soared for impotence drugs, but generics are on the horizon SUPPLEMENTING BRAIN HEALTH Supplements like ginkgo, vitamin D and omega-3s may bolster brain function WATCHFUL WAITING Monitoring early prostate cancer can be as good as surgery or radiation

Tips from the pros on how to lose weight

By Marilynn Marchione A food behavior researcher has tested a bunch of little ways to tip the scale toward success. His advice: Put it on autopilot.

Make small changes in the kitchen, at the grocery store, and in restaurants to help you make good choices without thinking.

“As much as we all want to believe that we’re master and commander of all our food decisions, that’s just not true for most of us,” said the researcher, Brian Wansink.

“We’re influenced by the things around us — the size of the plate, the things people are doing...the lighting.”

He heads the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, has written books on taking control of food choices, and has had government and industry funding.

Some tips are gimmicks, and some may not work as well for you as they did in tests. But they “make a lot of sense,” and many are backed by other studies, said one independent expert, Dr. William Yancy, a weight specialist at Duke University’s diet and fitness center.

To start: Make goals that are SMART — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound, Yancy said.

Instead of resolving to eat better, plan how to do it — such as having chips once or twice a week instead of every day.

Rather than vague vows to get in shape, resolve to walk half an hour every day after dinner.

Other tips from Wansink (and research to support them):

bowl. Researchers photographed 210 kitchens to see whether countertop food reflects the weight of women in each home. Those who left breakfast cereal out weighed 20 pounds more than neighbors who didn’t. Those with soft drinks out weighed 24 to 26 pounds more. Those with a fruit bowl weighed 13 pounds less.

In the kitchen

At the table

Redo the pantry to put healthy stuff in front. You’re three times more likely to eat the first food you see than the fifth one.

Tidy your kitchen before eating.

Women asked to wait in a messy kitchen ate twice as many cookies as women in the same kitchen did when it was organized and quiet.

Redo the fridge. Even though it shortens shelf life, move fruits and vegetables out of crisper drawers and put them at eye level. Keep healthy foods in clear bags or containers, and less healthy things (like leftover pizza) in aluminum foil. In one study, people who put fruits and vegetables on the top shelf ate nearly three times more of them than they did the week before.

Keep no food out except a fruit

Beware the glassware. Use narrower glasses, pour wine when the glass is on the table rather than in your hand, and use a glass that doesn’t match the color of the wine.

A study found that people poured 12 percent more wine when using a wide glass, 12 percent more when holding the glass, and 9 percent more when pouring white wine into a clear glass versus a colored or opaque one. Pour any glass only half full — this cuts the average pour by 18 percent.

Use smaller plates and pay attention to color. Big plates make portions look small. In one study, people given larger bowls took 16 percent more cereal than those given smaller bowls, yet thought they ate less.

People also take more food if it matches the color of their plate. But they eat less when the tablecloth or placemat matches the plate; it makes the food stand out more.

Keep the TV off and eat at a table. A study of dinner habits of 190 parents and 148 children found that the higher the parents’ body mass index (a ratio of height and weight), the more likely they were to eat with the TV on. Eating at a table was linked to lower BMI. Try small portions of “bad” foods.

Eat a bite or two, then distract yourself for 15 minutes to see if you feel satisfied. A study gave people different portions of chocolate, apple pie and potato chips, and had them rate hunger and craving before and 15 minutes after eating. Bigger portion folks ate 103 calories more, but didn’t feel more satisfied than those given less.

At the grocery store Divide your shopping cart in half.

Use a partition, purse or coat for a visual cue to fill at least half your cart with fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods. In two See WEIGHT LOSS TIPS, page 7

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

7

What to do when a cough just won’t quit

By Dr. Monique Tello Who has never had a cough? I bet no one can raise their hand. We see this in clinic all the time.

But chronic cough — one that lasts at least eight weeks — can be hard for patients to deal with and difficult for doctors to figure out.

In a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, lung experts describe a step-by-step approach doctors can use to help treat patients with chronic cough.

Most often a prolonged cough is due to one of the “usual suspects.”

But when it’s not, we have a long list of increasingly rarer conditions that we should run through and rule out. If it isn’t due to any of those, experts now recognize that the culprit may be overactive nerves that cause an exaggerated cough response to certain triggers.

The usual suspects The authors describe a typical patient with chronic cough, and she is very similar to many of my patients. She’s a middleaged lady with a cough lasting many

Weight loss tips From page 6 studies, half of shoppers were given divided carts and told to put healthier items in front. They spent more on produce than those given regular shopping carts.

Be careful when buying in bulk. A study found that people who bought big containers of chips, juice boxes, cookies, crackers and granola bars ate half of it within the first week — twice as fast as they normally would. Tip: Repackage into single-serve bags or containers, or store it out of reach, such as the basement.

Eat an apple first. People given a sample of an apple at the store increased spending on fruits and vegetables versus those given a cookie or no sample. A healthy snack may prime people to buy better foods, rather than the fast, processed foods they gravitate to when shopping hungry.

Circle every island in the produce sec-

months. Of course, first we want to ask a whole lot of questions.

• Has she had chronic allergy symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes and nose, stuffy nose and postnasal drip? If so, it’s worth trying antihistamines and nasal steroids. Undertreated allergies can lead to chronic sinus infection, which causes cough by postnasal drip, so we may want to treat for this as well.

• Could she have “cough variant” asthma that causes a cough but no wheezing?

Many of my patients would rather not wait for an appointment with a lung specialist and undergo fancy tests.

So, if we suspect cough-variant asthma, we simply begin inhalers. A few weeks of inhaled albuterol to help open the airways, and a steroid inhaler to quell inflammation, may both make the diagnosis and treat the problem.

• Is she suffering from heartburn symptoms? Acid reflux can also trigger cough. So if someone describes heartburn symptoms, or even if we are not sure what is causing the cough, we often prescribe eight weeks tion. In a study of 1,200 shoppers, every minute spent in the produce section meant $1.80 more in fruit and vegetable sales.

At a restaurant Let the light shine. Researchers checked sales receipts of patrons at four casual chain restaurants. Those in brighter rooms were more likely to order healthier fish, vegetables or white meat rather than fried food or dessert. Diners in dim rooms ordered 39 percent more calories.

Sit near a window. Researchers analyzed 330 diners’ receipts after they left.

The closer they were to a window, the fewer foods and alcoholic drinks they ordered.

Ask for a to-go box in advance. Half of diners in a study were told before they ordered that the portions were big and that they could have a doggie bag. Those told in advance wound up taking more food home. To-go boxes encourage people to eat about a third less.

— AP

of an acid-lowering medication.

• Is she taking a medication for which coughing is a side effect? Lisinopril or another blood pressure medication from the class called ACE inhibitors can cause cough in 20 percent of patients. A trial period off this medication may be warranted.

• Is she among the 17 percent of Americans who smoke cigarettes? If so, her cough may be due to chronic bronchitis, where cumulative lung damage prevents the body’s normal ability to clear particles, the airways swell and make excessive mucus, and eventually areas die off and leave “dead space.” In a smoker, other symptoms with the cough may raise concern about a lung infection or even cancer.

• Does she have other health risks or

conditions? If she has been incarcerated or in a shelter, or perhaps is from a resourcepoor country, we consider tuberculosis (TB). If she has a weakened immune system as well, due to HIV or long-term use of corticosteroids, TB and a host of other unusual organisms are on the list.

• Are we stumped? Rare conditions to consider include pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, autoimmune diseases and anatomical abnormalities. Additional workup should include pulmonary and ENT evaluations.

Newly recognized causes But what do we do for patients who either do not respond to treatments for their See COUGH, page 8

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Three immune-boosting myths busted

By Brierley Wright, R.D. It’s that time of year when any sniffle, cough or sneeze is noticed — and if it didn’t come from you, chances are you’re subtly putting a little space between you and whoever it came from.

There’s no better time than the present to talk about immune-boosting myths — from colds to allergies. Read on so that you’re not duped by these three myths about boosting your immunity.

#1 “Vitamin C wards off colds” It won’t. Vitamin C has long had a reputation for helping prevent colds, but clinical studies have shown no effect for vitamin C in cold prevention in normal situations.

However, research has shown that daily

doses of 200 mg. or greater (more than twice the 60-75 mg. current recommended dietary intake for adults) may help reduce the duration of colds slightly.

The likelihood of success seems to vary with the person — some people improve after taking vitamin C supplements, others don’t. Go ahead and try it, but don’t exceed 2,000 mg. per day. More than this can cause an upset stomach.

Similarly, zinc lozenges may also help cut the number of days you’re sick. In a study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, adults who took zinc in lozenge form (13.3 mg. every two to three hours for as long as their cold lasted) within a day of noticing the telltale signs kicked the bug about three days sooner than those who got a placebo.

Though that dose exceeds the recommended daily max of 40 mg., it’s safe for a three- to five-day period, said study author Dr. Ananda Prasad. Scientists think zinc binds to cell receptors in the mouth and throat, blocking the cold virus from attaching and spreading.

Go for the lozenges, and skip nasal sprays and swabs: They may damage your sense of smell.

And zinc from food (beef, dark poultry meat, shellfish) probably won’t help either, as you can’t get enough that way.

#2 “Honey cures allergies” The theory is this: Honeybees gather pollen from the very plants that cause your itchy eyes, so consuming a small daily dose of the local honey — and subsequently these pollens — may stimulate your immune system and reduce allergies.

But it’s the windborne pollens that cause

Cough From page 7

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common conditions, or for whom extensive evaluation rules out the less common causes of a chronic cough?

Researchers are now describing a new family of breathing and cough conditions caused by nerve dysfunction.

New evidence suggests that postnasal drip, acid reflux, or even forceful coughing in and of itself can aggravate nerve endings in the “cough centers” of the airways.

These aggravated nerve endings then overreact to many other triggers — such as smoke, perfume or temperature changes — causing an overwhelming urge to cough. They label this condition “neuronal hyper-responsiveness syndrome,” and outline several approaches to treatment.

sneezing and congestion, not the pollens bees collect from flowers. So it’s not likely to make a difference, say researchers.

But don’t nix honey quite yet. It may help soothe your cough. Researchers at Penn State University pitted honey against dextromethorphan — the active ingredient in most cough medicines — as a cough suppressant for children, and found honey to be more effective.

That’s possibly because the part of the brain that registers sweet tastes and the part that causes coughing are located near each other, so sensing sweetness may affect coughing. One (major) disclaimer: Don’t give honey to a baby younger than 1 year old.

#3 “Dairy makes you congested” Some people avoid dairy products when they’re sick because they are thought to See IMMUNE MYTHS, page 9

But wait, there’s more. Other researchers describe a similar concept at the level of the larynx — a family of disorders under “laryngeal dysfunction syndrome” that can include “laryngeal hyper-responsiveness.” Many of the treatments they describe are similar to the treatments for “neuronal hyper-responsiveness,” and the most promising include the anticonvulsants gabapentin and pregabalin, the antidepressant amitriptyline, speech therapy, or a combination of these.

Basically, medical experts are describing a new cause of chronic cough based on aggravated nerves and airway dysfunction. More research will result in better treatments.

Monique Tello, M.D., M.P.H., is a contributing editor to Harvard Health Publications. © 2017. President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed By Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

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9

Drugs for depression, anxiety and reflux

By Dr. Howard LeWine Q: I understand that an antidepressant can treat both depression and anxiety. I have tried three different antidepressants to treat my depression, and they all cause me to experience anxiety as a side effect.

Since these drugs are also used to treat anxiety, can you explain how this is possible?

A: Many years ago, clinicians and researchers first noticed that antidepressants relieve anxiety. However, antidepressants don’t work to treat anxiety in everyone. In fact, as your experience demonstrates, anxiety can sometimes be made worse by these medicines.

It seems strange that a drug could cause a reaction that is opposite to its intended effect, but it’s a common phenomenon in psychiatric drug treatment.

For example, antidepressants can cause depression to get worse. Stimulants, which tend to speed people up, help some people feel calmer.

Medication effects vary because no two people are alike. Life experiences diverge.

Each person’s biology is unique. Thus, no two forms of depression or anxiety are alike, either.

We don’t yet completely understand how the brain regulates mood. We do know that antidepressants do not simply correct a socalled “chemical imbalance.” While antide-

pressants do alter the concentration of chemical messengers between nerve cells, we’re still not very good at predicting how that change will affect a person’s mood.

There are some practical points worth considering if an antidepressant makes you anxious. In the first few days or weeks of treatment with any antidepressant, it can have a stimulating effect. That can make you feel anxious. But often the anxiety wears off if you press on for several days or weeks.

Sometimes the anxiety is triggered because you started a dose that was too high.

You may avoid anxiety by starting a very low dose and increasing it slowly.

If the drugs made you anxious on low doses, ask your doctor about other options. You may have more success with psychotherapy, or an antidepressant from a different class.

Q: I regularly take over-the-counter omeprazole for acid reflux and have been doing this for many years. Some days I need to double the dose.

I would like to get off it. But when I stop the omeprazole, the heartburn comes right back. What can I do?

A: Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). Drugs in this class are the most potent stomach acid inhibitors.

While proton pump inhibitors are very safe for short-term use, there are several concerns about taking them for a long

Immune myths

Don’t skimp on yogurt, either. It contains good-for-you probiotics that may actually stimulate your immune system.

EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com. © 2016 Eating Well, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

From page 8 further increase mucus secretions. But scientific evidence has yet to support this.

So go ahead and have that glass of milk or a latte — the vitamin D in it may help boost your immune system.

time. One problem is just what you experience. Rebound heartburn.

Rebound heartburn happens because the acid suppression leads to an increase in the number and activity of acid producing cells in the stomach. Without the blocker, acid levels shoot up quickly.

Other potential side effects of long-term PPI use include low blood magnesium levels, loss of bone mass that may lead to osteoporosis and fractures, increased infection risk, and decreased absorption of vitamin B12 leading to anemia. Stomach acid greatly helps with vitamin B12 absorption.

To help you get off the omeprazole, make sure you are regularly following the non-drug recommendations to reduce acid reflux.

• Lose weight if you are overweight.

• Eat smaller but more frequent meals.

• Avoid eating within two or three hours before bedtime.

• Raise the head of your bed if you’re bothered by nighttime heartburn. Do it by putting blocks under the legs at the head end of the frame, or by placing a wedge (available in medical supply stores) under your upper body.

• If certain foods trigger your heartburn, try cutting them out for a while to see if it makes a difference.

Next, continue to take your daily morning omeprazole. Add another medication called an over-the-counter H2 blocker, such as See REFLUX, page 10

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Drug prices can put sex beyond reach

By Linda A. Johnson Imagine not being able to afford one of life’s great pleasures — sex.

That’s true for many older couples, doctors say. Soaring prices for prescription medicines for impotence and other problems have put the remedies out of reach for some.

Without insurance coverage, Viagra and Cialis cost about $50 a pill, triple their 2010 list prices. The new “female Viagra,” a daily pill for low sex drive called Addyi, costs $800 per month. Older products for women also have seen huge price run-ups, Truven Health Analytics data show.

“Many of them don’t get past the pharmacy counter once they see the price,” said Sheryl Kingsberg, a University Hospi-

tals-Cleveland Medical Center behavioral psychologist and researcher who counsels men and women.

What people actually pay out of pocket varies. Some insurance prescription plans, including Medicare, cover some of the medicines. Some plans don’t cover any, arguing they’re not medically necessary.

Many require steep copayments or limit the number of impotence pills per prescription.

“Once you get to a certain price point, sex becomes a financial decision,” said Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a sexual dysfunction specialist at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital. “It takes a lot of the joy out of this.”

Five of six specialists interviewed by the Associated Press say patients have told

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them they’ve given up sex because of the cost.

Generics on the horizon Now, a little relief is coming. Late this year, Viagra and Cialis will get at least one generic competitor costing slightly less; prices will plunge later when more generics reach the market.

For women, an Addyi rival is in latestage testing. A few other products now have generic versions, and other options are in development.

A generation ago, long-married couples accepted their sex lives trailing off with age, Kavaler said. Key hormone levels drop with age, reducing sex drive and causing problems such as impotence and vaginal dryness, which often makes intercourse painful.

Today, midlife divorce is more common, divorced or widowed men and women often seek new partners, and sex becomes important again. Meanwhile, they’re bombarded by ads for impotence remedies and other treatments.

“Couples in their 50s, 60s and 70s are more sexual than they’ve ever been,” said Kavaler.

Until Pfizer launched the first impotence pill, Viagra, in 1998, there were few options for men besides penile implants

Reflux From page 9 cimetidine, ranitidine, famotidine or nizatidine. Take this one at night before bed.

Then start to skip doses of omeprazole while continuing the nightly H2 blocker. If all is well, see if you can stop the omeprazole. Don’t rush it. Do this over a few weeks or longer.

and injections. Viagra and Cialis each quickly topped $1 billion in global annual sales, and products for women’s symptoms eventually followed.

However, price hikes appear to be limiting usage for some products in the U.S., where prices aren’t regulated. Since 2010, the number of Viagra prescriptions filled in the U.S. has fallen 42 percent to about 5 million a year. Meanwhile, prescriptions for Cialis, which now has a popular daily pill option, have gone up slightly, according to health data firm QuintilesIMS.

Pricey options for women Popular women’s estrogen products, such as Vagifem vaginal tablets and Estrace cream, also have seen prescriptions decline in recent years. Addyi, only on the market for a year, has had dismal sales.

Dr. Lauren Streicher offers women four treatment options, and most pick Vagifem.

A month’s supply costs $170 and insurance coverage is limited. A generic version, Yuvafem, just launched at a slightly cheaper price.

“They go to their pharmacy and see how much it costs, and then they call me up and say, ‘I can’t do it,”‘ said Streicher, director of the Center for Sexual Medicine See DRUG PRICES, page 13

You might eventually be able to stop the nightly H2 blocker and only need it or an antacid for occasional heartburn.

Howard LeWine, M.D. is an internist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. (c) 2017 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All Rights Reserved. Distributed By Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

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11

These supplements support brain health

By Marsha McCulloch, R.D. Smart lifestyle practices — including healthy eating, exercise, good sleep, and continual learning — help keep your brain in top form. Certain supplements also may help bolster brain function.

Although more research is needed, the following supplements may help. Consult your doctor prior to use.

blood levels (below 30 ng/mL).

An international summit concluded that managing Alzheimer’s disease and related cognitive decline should include screening for vitamin D deficiency, and supplementation if needed (Journal of Internal Medicine, 2014).

Supplement with: 600 to 800 International Units vitamin D3, or as advised based on blood test.

Ginkgo biloba extract This supplement has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and improves blood flow to the brain. A metaanalysis of nine well-conducted clinical trials concluded that 240 milligrams (mg.) per day of ginkgo is more effective than a placebo in treatment of dementia (Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences, 2015). However, evidence for the role of ginkgo in dementia prevention appears weak.

Supplement with: 120 mg. to 240 mg. ginkgo biloba extract.

Vitamin D Besides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions in the brain, vitamin D may help clear it of toxic compounds. A small number of clinical trials suggest daily supplements may help improve dementia, particularly in people with low vitamin D

Omega-3 fats and B vitamins EPA and DHA omega-3 fats and B vitamins, particularly folate and vitamins B6 and B12, have shown positive effects on brain health and function in many — but not all — clinical trials when administered individually.

New research suggests that pairing them may be more effective for brain health.

In VITACOG, a double-blind, placebocontrolled trial of older adults with mild cognitive impairment, taking a daily highdose B supplement — 800 micrograms (mcg.) folate, 500 mcg. B12, and 20 mg. B6 — for two years slowed brain shrinkage and cognitive decline, particularly in those with high levels of homocysteine (a risk factor for Alzheimer’s).

A later analysis of VITACOG data showed that people with low omega-3 blood levels at the start of the study experienced little cognitive benefit from vitamin B supplements,

BEACON BITS

Mar. 14+

but those with high-to-normal omega-3 blood levels (suggesting higher omega-3 intake) had significant slowing in brain shrinkage and cognitive decline, including memory loss, when taking B vitamin supplements (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2016).

Supplement with: 1,000 mg. to 2,000 mg. omega-3 EPA and DHA; 400 mcg. folate, 500 mcg. B12* and 20 mg. B6.* (*Though higher than the RDA, these doses are suggested by research to support cognitive function.)

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS

Valley Presbyterian Church in Lutherville will sponsor a free, nondenominational support program for those adjusting to the loss of a loved one. The group will meet on Tuesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. from March 14 to June 13. Participants can join the group at any time during the course of the program. Call (410) 828-6234 or visit www.griefshare.org for more information and additional group locations and schedules.

PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) This supplement, which has powerful antioxidant actions, promotes the growth and protection of nerve cells. PQQ is found in many foods, such as spinach, kiwifruit, green tea and fermented soybeans, but typical di-

etary intake is low (0.1 mg. to 1.0 mg. per day) compared to effective study doses.

In a randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled trial of 41 healthy adults, those taking 20 mg. of PQQ daily for 12 weeks had a significant improvement in focused attention (Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2016). Also, those who initially had low memory scores saw significant improvements after taking PQQ. Supplement with: 20 mg. BioPQQ (the only form tested in clinical trials).

Reprinted with permission from Environmental Nutrition, a monthly publication of Belvoir Media Group, LLC. 800-829-5384. www.EnvironmentalNutrition.com. © 2016 Belvoir Media Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Health Studies Page

MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

THE PLACE TO LOOK FOR INFORMATION ON AREA CLINICAL TRIALS

Study seeks fewer heart attacks, strokes

By Carol Sorgen When cholesterol deposits in our arteries lead to blood clots that rupture or break away, serious and fatal complications can occur — including stroke, heart attack and sudden cardiac death.

Inflammation contributes to this condition, known as atherothrombosis, but it is not known whether the prevention or reduction of inflammation itself can reduce the number of cardiovascular events in patients.

A study is underway, and seeking suitable local volunteers, to see if a drug that targets inflammation could lead to fewer deaths and disabilities from atherothrombosis.

Two local study sites The Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial (CIRT), sponsored by

Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is currently investigating whether taking lowdose methotrexate will reduce heart attacks, strokes or death in people with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome (conditions associated with inflammation) who have already had a heart attack or multiple coronary blockages.

Methotrexate is currently used to treat several kinds of cancer, including cancer of the blood, bone, lung, breast, head or neck, in addition to treating rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

The trial is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is being conducted at more than 500 locations in the United States and Canada. Locally, Sinai Hospital in Baltimore and IRC Clinics

in Towson are recruiting patients.

Participants in the trial must be 18 or older and have either a documented past history of heart attack or past evidence of multi-vessel coronary artery disease demonstrated by angiography.

They should also have a history of type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, conditions that are associated with an enhanced likelihood of inflammation.

How the study works Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups in the study for a three- to four-year period. One group will get usual cardiovascular care plus a placebo; the other, the usual care plus methotrexate.

The study is double-blind, meaning neither participants nor study staff will know which group is getting the actual study drug.

The dose of methotrexate taken by that group will be 15 to 20 mg., taken orally six days each week. That dose is within the range commonly used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. By contrast, the drug dose taken by cancer patients is hundreds of times higher, so the chances of significant side effects are much lower in study participants.

Nausea and vomiting are the most common side effects of methotrexate among those taking it for rheumatoid arthritis.

Mouth sores are another common side effect.

Methotrexate depletes the body of fo-

late (a form of B vitamin), so all study participants will additionally take a 1 mg. folate supplement six days per week.

Researchers will aim to minimize complications for participants through education programs for investigators, communication with study participants, and by limiting enrollment to those with no evidence of cancer, hepatitis, kidney disease, chronic infection, pulmonary disease or other risk factors for toxicity.

Before the study starts, doctors will give all participants the drug for five to six weeks to eliminate individuals who are either intolerant of, or unable to adhere to, treatment.

Participants will have regular monitoring of liver function and blood markers to ensure safety and allow for dose adjustments.

The primary objective of the trial is to gauge the rate of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death, while researchers also hope to determine mortality rates from all causes. In addition, they are looking at the incidence of events such as congestive heart failure, peripheral artery disease, atrial fibrillation and diabetes.

Investigators hope that if the trial is successful — meaning methotrexate is shown to reduce inflammation, and thereby lower the risk of cardiac events and death — it will lead to improved treatment for cardiovascular disease.

For more information, or to volunteer to participate, call (855) 437-9330. Refer to ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01594333.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

13

Prostate cancer may not need treatment

Drug prices From page 10 and Menopause at Northwestern University’s medical school in Chicago.

But not being able to have sex “is a dealbreaker in a lot of relationships,” she added.

The drugs’ makers insist list prices far exceed the negotiated prices insurers pay them, and say they price products based on their value. According to the companies, nearly all their customers are insured. Pfizer said most insured Viagra users pay $6 to $8 per pill, for instance.

Patients unwilling to forego sex, doctors say, split pills or otherwise ration medicines, beg for scarce samples, or seek copay discount coupons.

Men with enlarged prostates can request Cialis because it’s also approved for that condition, usually with insurance coverage. Some women make do with overthe-counter lubricants.

Many shop for price, which can vary widely by pharmacy.

cancer earlier saves lives.

“There’s been no hard evidence that treating early [prostate] disease makes a difference,” said Dr. Freddie Hamdy of the University of Oxford, the study’s leader.

“Because we cannot determine very well which [case] is aggressive cancer and which is not, men and clinicians can both be anxious about whether the disease will progress,” he said. “And that pushes them toward treatment. “

struggle to convince men diagnosed with early prostate cancer in the U.S. to skip surgery or radiation. He said he often sug-

gests monitoring, but “it’s a challenging See PROSTATE CANCER, page 14

Waiting can be difficult Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, welcomed the results, but said it would be a Others take a big risk, buying “herbal Viagra” at gas stations, or ordering Viagra online from “Canadian pharmacies” that likely sell counterfeit drugs made in poor countries, said Dr. Irwin Goldstein, director of San Diego Sexual Medicine.

Can blood pressure pills help?

Some doctors have gotten inventive.

Dr. Nachum Katlowitz, head of urology at New York’s Staten Island University Hospital, offers an alternative costing about $1 per pill at some pharmacies.

The active ingredient in Viagra — sildenafil — is also in Pfizer’s now-generic blood pressure pill Revatio, but at one-fifth the dose.

One of his patients, a 62-year-old hospital technician, takes several of the blood pressure pills before sex. “I couldn’t afford it if I had to pay for Viagra,” said Robert, who asked that his last name not be used to protect his privacy.

He’s experienced modest improvements, and said he and his wife of 28 years now enjoy sex twice as often.

— AP

Supervised Exercise Research Healthy men & women 50-80 years old needed to participate in an exercise research study at the University of Maryland / Baltimore VA Medical Center. Work with Doctors and Exercise Physiologists to safely start exercising. Participation involves tests to measure your fitness and function. You will receive medical and fitness evaluations.

Parking and compensation for your time will be provided.

Call 410-605-7179.

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11796462

By Maria Cheng Men with early prostate cancer who choose to closely monitor their disease are just as likely to survive at least 10 years as those who have surgery or radiation, according to a major study that directly tested and compared these options.

Survival from prostate cancer was so high — 99 percent, regardless of which approach men had — that the results call into question not only what treatment is best, but also whether any treatment at all is needed for early-stage cases.

And that in turn adds to concern about screening with PSA blood tests, because screening is worthwhile only if finding

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Prostate cancer From page 13 process to explain to people that certain cancers just don’t need to be treated.� “Our aggressive approach to screening and treating has resulted in more than 1 million American men getting needless treatment, “ said Brawley, who had no role in the study.

The research was published last fall in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was paid for by Britain’s National Institute for Health Research.

The study involved more than 82,000

men in the United Kingdom, aged 50 to 69, who had tests for PSA, or prostate specific antigen. High levels can signal prostate cancer, but also may signal more harmless conditions, including natural enlargement that occurs with age.

Researchers focused on the men diagnosed with early prostate cancer, where the disease is small and confined to the prostate. Of those men, 1,643 agreed to be randomly assigned to get surgery, radiation or active monitoring.

Monitoring involves blood tests every three to six months, counseling, and consideration of treatment only if signs sug-

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gest a worsening disease.

A decade later, researchers found no difference among the groups in rates of death from prostate cancer or other causes. More men being monitored saw their cancers worsen — 112 versus 46 given surgery and 46 given radiation. But radiation and surgery brought more side effects, especially urinary, bowel or sexual problems.

Do we overscreen?

PSA testing remains popular in the U.S. even after a government task force recommended against it, saying it does more harm than good by leading to false alarms and overtreatment of many cancers that would never threaten a man’s life. In Europe, prostate cancer screening is far less common.

Other experts said scientists should focus on how to figure out which cancers are so slow growing they don’t need treatment and those that do. “We need something to allow us to identify men with aggressive disease earlier,� said Dr. Malcolm Mason, a prostate cancer expert at the charity Cancer Research U.K. He said the study confirmed that for men in the early stages of the disease, there is no wrong treatment decision.

Some participants who had surgery or

radiation said they didn’t regret it despite learning now that they probably could have done just as well without it.

Tony Hancock, 60, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer eight years ago in Newcastle, said he originally wanted to have his disease monitored, but the study assigned him to have surgery. “Within about 24 hours, I persuaded myself that it was the best option,� he said. “I started to think, ‘how could you live like that, knowing there’s a cancer growing inside you and you’re not doing anything about it?’�‘ Although he suffered side effects, including some incontinence and pain, Hancock was glad he had the surgery. “Psychologically, I know the cancer has been removed because my prostate is gone.�

Douglas Collett, a retired construction worker from Cromhall, said he was horrified when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. “It hit me like a sledgehammer,� the 73-year-old said. “My initial reaction was to get rid of it.�

But after reading up on the risks and benefits of surgery and radiation, Collett said he was relieved to have been assigned to the monitoring group, and feels more men should be fully informed about the various strategies. — AP

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Fitness & Health

15

Advising one’s 12-year-old granddaughter Dear Solutions: the death penalty would be taken by the murMy granddaughter, who’s 12 years derers. (No murderers = no death penalty.) old, was visiting me with a There are so many differcouple of her friends. They ent practical, moral, philowere having just a fun dissophical, religious and other cussion about how to act dimensions that lead people when they go out with boys. to be for or against this issue.

One of the girls said she Since your main goal is to went to a movie with a boy remain friends, tell him that and he kissed her. He then the only thing you really want told her she didn’t know to kill is the arguing, not the how to kiss because she friendship. Try to agree to let didn’t open her mouth or SOLUTIONS that rest in peace. close her eyes.

Solutions: Dear

By Helen Oxenberg, She actually asked me MSW, ACSW I’m not sure whether to what she should have said have a temper tantrum or when this boy criticized her. I don’t not. I sent several proposals and samthink I gave her a very good answer be- ples for a really interesting workcause I was a little shocked by the whole shop/group experience to a new comconversation. munity that I heard was looking for What should she say in a situation ideas. like this?

I have not heard one word from the — Miriam so-called activity director, although I Dear Miriam: sent it twice. This person didn’t anShe should say nothing, because if she’s swer or even acknowledge receiving going out with a boy at 12 years old, she’d my inquiries. It feels like I don’t exist. better keep her mouth shut and her eyes What is the best way to handle this? wide open!

Should I express my anger at her/his Dear Solutions: inconsideration, or just forget it?

I am in a constant debate with a — Frustrated friend of mine over abolishing the Dear Frustrated: death penalty. He’s passionately I understand your frustration. against it, though I’m not convinced Fortunately, you have a choice. You can even after all his arguments. assume that this person is not going to The trouble is that by the end of our hire you. Then you can have that temper “discussions,” we both end up a little tantrum, and rant and rave about his/her angry and turned off. I want us to re- inconsideration and nastiness, and be remain friends, so have you got any ad- lieved that you don’t have to work with vice about how to end this? such an unappealing person.

— Ed Or you can just shrug and hold on to the Dear Ed: good feeling of being superior to this silent First, you might tell him that you would person, realizing that the good shrug will agree with him if the first step to abolishing feel better than would a reply of rejection.

Enjoy the shrug and look elsewhere.

Dear Solutions: I just wrote a play, which I’m feeling good about, and I’m about to send it to a producer. Some people are telling me I should send it to a drama critic first. That makes me nervous. Do you think they’re right?

— D. Dear D: They may be right, but you’re also right to

be nervous because the critic may read it and tell you something you don’t want to hear.

If you think you can stand that, then go ahead. If not, be brave and just send it to the producer. Good luck. © Helen Oxenberg, 2017. Questions to be considered for this column may be sent to: The Beacon, P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915. You may also email the author at helox72@comcast.net. To inquire about reprint rights, call (609) 655-3684.

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Money Law &

SCAM ALERT Don’t fall prey to scammers posing as IRS officials. Remember that the IRS does not contact you by phone or email asking for personal information MAKE CAREGIVING LESS TAXING There are several tax deductions and credits available to help adult children caring for their parents, from claiming them as a dependent to deducting medical costs

Children may have to pay for parents’ care

By Eleanor Laise When an older adult racks up unpaid long-term-care bills, who’s responsible for paying the debt?

In a growing number of cases, adult children are being held legally responsible for their parents’ nursing-home or other care expenses. The reason: More than half of U.S. states have “filial responsibility” laws obligating adult children to financially support their parents.

These laws, which have gone largely unenforced for decades, are reappearing in court cases as an aging population struggles with care costs.

“I get calls at least once a month from somebody saying, ‘I’ve never heard of this law. Why is somebody suing me?’” said Katherine Pearson, law professor at Penn State’s Dickinson Law School and an expert on these laws.

For family members, the consequences can be severe. A 2012 Pennsylvania court decision ordered an adult son to pay roughly $93,000 to cover his mother’s unpaid nursing-home bills.

Many families who don’t wind up in court are still being threatened with legal

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action if they don’t pay a loved one’s bills.

Court decisions such as the one in Pennsylvania have prompted more long-termcare facilities to mention filial-responsibility laws in letters demanding payment from residents’ families, elder law experts say.

“A lot of that has been more posturing than action, but it works,” said Jamie Hopkins, professor of retirement income at the American College.

A long legal precedent State filial-responsibility laws can be traced back to 16th century English “Poor Laws,” which created an obligation for financially able family members to support indigent relatives as an alternative to the newly established public welfare system, Pearson said.

At one time, nearly all U.S. states had such laws. But starting in the 1960s, when Medicaid became a safety net for people who couldn’t afford care, some of the laws were repealed — and those that survived were largely ignored.

But that has changed in recent years as more seniors are living for many years with dementia or other chronic conditions, requiring costly long-term care.

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Ideally, a senior who is running out of money and has no other resources would make a timely application for Medicaid, and filial-support laws would never come into play. But it doesn’t always work out that way.

In some cases, seniors don’t apply for Medicaid on time, or they’re disqualified because they made gifts to their children before applying. (Seniors who give away assets within five years of applying for Medicaid generally trigger a period of ineligibility for benefits.)

If there’s any coverage gap, large unpaid bills can accumulate quickly.

Who might sue While the laws vary from state to state, they generally apply only when the parent is indigent and the adult child has some ability to pay.

In many states, the laws won’t apply if the child can prove that the parent abandoned or abused him. If the parent and child live in different states, courts will typically apply the filial-support law of the state where the parent lives.

Depending on the state, filial-responsibility lawsuits may be filed by a parent or

other family member, or by a third party, such as a long-term-care facility, that has an interest in the individual’s care.

In some filial-responsibility cases, siblings are suing each other. In a case decided in Pennsylvania last year, a son who was caring for his elderly mother at home successfully sued his brother for filial support.

Laws in this region Locally, while Maryland has a filial responsibility law, Maryland bars nursing homes from holding children responsible for a parent’s nursing home bills unless the children agree in writing to be financially responsible, according to the nonprofit People’s Law Library.

When reading nursing-home admissions contracts, watch out for any provisions asking for a financial “guarantor” or “responsible party.” Federal law prohibits nursing homes from requiring a third-party guarantee of payment as a condition of admission — but some facilities still try to get family members to voluntarily agree to pay the bills.

In one situation, Marylanders can be on See PARENTS’ CARE, page 18

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Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

17

Claim all the tax breaks you’re entitled to

By Carole Feldman Donald Trump’s acknowledgement last fall that he had not paid federal income tax in years left some questioning why they should have to pay taxes.

“I think you pay taxes because it’s the right thing to do,” National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson said.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t take tax benefits to which you’re entitled.

“It’s easy to point to some of the provisions that you may feel are in the law...to let some [wealthy] people pay zero taxes, and ignore that you yourself are getting significant benefits delivered to you through the Internal Revenue code” as well, she said.

Among those: “If you’re an employee, you might be benefiting from employer-provided health insurance or tax-deferred retirement savings,” she said. “If you own a home, you may be benefiting from the deduction of mortgage interest, and those are significant.”

People tend to focus on special interests during discussions of tax reform. But Olson said, “The biggest special benefits go to the middle class, or anybody who owns a home or has a retirement account or gets employer-provided health insurance.”

Don’t overpay taxes; itemize Tax experts say many people over-pay their taxes because they are not taking advantage of all the credits and deductions to which they are entitled.

Greg Rosica, a tax partner at Ernst & Young, said those could include things like deducting mileage if you drive to volunteer at a charity or drop off a donation of goods.

If you’re self-employed, add up your business expenses. “There are many deductions, items that are directly deductible against wages,” Rosica said.

That can include things like the phone bill or paper for the printer — or even for the room in your house where you conduct your business. But if you want to take that last deduction, “you must regularly use part of your home exclusively for conducting business,” the IRS said.

There are two ways to compute home office deductions — one a simplified method of $5 per square foot for up to 300 square feet, and the other based on the actual costs of using the home office.

If you took out a new mortgage or refinanced an existing one and paid points, those may be deductible, but they have to be amortized over the life of the loan. If you suffered a major uninsured loss, that may qualify as an itemized deduction as well.

Medical deductions Contact lenses, eyeglasses and hearing aids qualify as deductible medical expenses. So do breast pumps and lactation supplies and contraceptives, if bought with a prescription.

The cost of travel to get medical care also may be deductible. But you can only deduct medical expenses that exceed 10 percent of your adjusted gross income — or 7.5 percent if you are 65 or older.

On the other hand, “the IRS has ruled that the cost of marijuana or any other federally controlled substance, even if recommended by a physician in a state whose laws permit such purchase and use, is not deductible.”

Trump has not released his tax returns.

Send a letter to the editor.

But The New York Times reported last year that he claimed more than $900 million in losses in 1995, enabling him to pay nothing in taxes for as many as 18 years.

Asked during a presidential debate in October whether he used the loss to avoid paying taxes, he said, “Of course I do.”

The Tax Policy Center estimates that about 44.5 percent of taxpayers will pay no income taxes for 2016.

“Just because people don’t pay federal income tax doesn’t mean they don’t pay any tax,” center fellow Roberton C. Williams wrote on its website.

“In fact, nearly everyone pays something. Three-fifths of those who don’t owe income tax work, and thus pay Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes. And al-

most everyone pays state and local sales taxes, excise taxes or some other levy.”

Penalties for non-payment of taxes can add up. There are penalties for failing to file your tax return, and for failing to pay your taxes.

The IRS advises people to file their tax returns even if they can’t afford to pay what’s due. The agency will work with taxpayers to set up installment plans if they are unable to afford the tax bill all at once.

“In most cases,” the IRS said, “the failure to-to-file penalty is 10 times more than the failure-to-pay penalty.”

Ernst & Young’s EY Tax Guide 2017 lists 50 of the deductions that people are most likely to overlook. It can be purchased at Amazon.com and other book sellers. — AP

18

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

As tax season approaches, beware scams

By Tina Orem Last summer, Cindy Hockenberry decided she’d had it with threatening phone calls claiming she was behind on her taxes.

“One day — I’m not kidding you — I got called three times,” she said.

Sometimes the calls were automated.

But once, when she got a call from a live person, Hockenberry — who happens to be the director of education and research at the National Association of Tax Professionals — decided to play along.

The caller told her she owed over $5,000 in back taxes. “He was pretty convincing,”

Hockenberry recalled. “”He was saying the right things...using the right tax lingo.”

“Then I said to him, ‘Do you realize that it’s not lawful to impersonate an IRS employee?’...He came back and said, ‘Well, do you realize it’s unlawful not to pay your taxes?’ I said, ‘Yes, as a matter of fact, I do — which is why I know for a fact I have paid all my taxes.’”

There was a pause, she said. Then the caller cursed at her and hung up.

An escalating problem Hockenberry’s story is just one example of how brazen tax scammers can be. In

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roughly the last three years, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the body that oversees the IRS, has received more than 1.8 million reports of calls from people impersonating IRS employees, and almost 10,000 victims have lost a total of nearly $50 million.

Tax-related email phishing and malware incidents shot up 400 percent in the 2016 tax season, according to the IRS. Recent schemes include calls threatening arrest for an overdue, fictitious “federal student tax,” emails with fake tax bills attached, and IRS impersonators demanding payment via gift cards or prepaid cards.

Joe Seifert, a CPA in Portland, Ore., said even tax preparers receive emails from scammers, asking for the usernames and passwords that let them access special IRS online tools.

Criminals pose as state tax officials to make a buck, too. For example, the Kansas Department of Revenue has received complaints about calls from employee impersonators, according to a department spokesperson. Scammers are also issuing letters and emails under the state’s name.

If scammers approach you As tax season approaches, people will likely see more scams, the Federal Trade Commission warned. There’s little to prevent a criminal from picking up the phone

Parents’ care From page 16

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the hook for parents’ costs even without agreeing: If a parent under 65 is under the care of a state psychiatric hospital, the state can use the law to get the children to reimburse the state for the parent’s care.

or sending a bogus email, but there are four things you can do when these fishy communications arrive: 1. Know how the IRS initiates contact.

“The IRS should never, ever be contacting you by email, ever. They should never, ever be contacting you by phone. They should only be contacting you via letter,” Seifert said.

2. Report creepy messages. You can forward shady tax-related emails to phishing@irs.gov and report suspicious phone calls to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. Collecting these reports recently helped the Department of Justice indict dozens of people in an alleged international call-center fraud scheme.

3. Verify issues with the IRS or your state tax authority. Question out-of-the-blue communications about alleged tax balances. If you owe back taxes, or think you might, call your tax professional, the IRS, or the state tax department directly, Seifert said.

A new online tool at IRS.gov also lets you look up unpaid taxes, penalties and interest.

4. Never pay over the phone. Even if you owe money, the IRS never asks for credit, debit, prepaid card or bank information via phone, email, text or social media.

If someone does, “Just hang up on them,” Seifert said. — NerdWallet via AP.

To minimize your odds of being saddled with a parent’s care costs, have open family discussions about long-term care planning, and understand the Medicaid rules, said K. Gabriel Heiser, a retired elder law attorney and expert on Medicaid planning. © 2017, Kiplinger. All Rights Reserved.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Law & Money

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

19

Tax help for those caring for parents Dear Savvy Senior: ed IRS publications or forms via mail, call Are caregiving expenses tax de- 1-800-829-3676. ductible? I provide a lot of financial support to my eldShared support erly mother, and would like If you share the financial to find out if I can write any responsibility for your mom of it off on my taxes. with other siblings, you may Supporting Son be eligible for the IRS multiDear Supporting: ple-support declaration.

There are actually several Here’s how this works. If one tax deductions and credits sibling is providing more than available to adult children half the parent’s financial supwho help look after their port, only that sibling can claim SAVVY SENIOR aging parents or other relathe parent. But if each sibling

By Jim Miller tives. Here are your options, provides less than 50 percent along with the IRS requiresupport — but their combined ments to help you determine if you’re eligi- assistance exceeds half the parent’s support ble to receive them.

—any sibling who provides more than 10 percent can claim the parent as a dependent.

Dependency deduction So can they both claim the credit? No, only If you’re paying for more than 50 per- one sibling can claim the tax break in any cent of your mom’s living costs (housing, given year. But siblings can rotate the tax food, utilities, medical and dental care, break, with one claiming the parent one year, transportation and other necessities), and and another the next. The sibling who claims her 2016 gross income (not counting her the parent as a dependent will need to fill out Social Security benefits) was under $4,050, IRS Form 2120 (www.irs.gov/pub/irsyou can claim your mom as a dependent pdf/f2120.pdf) and file it with his or her tax on your tax return and reduce your taxable return. income by $4,050.

Also note that your mom doesn’t have Medical deductions to live with you to qualify as a dependent, If you can’t claim your mom as a deas long as her income was under $4,050, pendent, you may still get a tax break for and you provided more than half her finan- helping pay her medical costs. The IRS cial support. lets taxpayers deduct money spent on a If your mother does live with you, you can parent’s healthcare and qualified longinclude a percentage of your mortgage, utili- term care services, even if the parent doesties and other expenses in calculating how n’t qualify as a dependent. much you contribute to her support. IRS To claim this deduction, you still must proPublication 501 (see www.irs.gov/pub/irs- vide more than half your mom’s support, but pdf/p501.pdf) has a worksheet that can help your mom doesn’t have to be under the you with this. $4,050 income test. And the deduction is limYou can download all IRS publications ited to medical, dental and long-term care exand forms for free online. To receive print- penses that exceed 10 percent (or 7.5 percent

if you’re 65 by Dec. 31, 2016) of your adjusted gross income. You can include your own medical expenses in calculating the total. See IRS publication 502 (www.irs.gov/pub/irspdf/p502.pdf) for details.

Dependent care credit If you’re paying for in-home care or adult day care for your mom so that you are free to work, you may also be able to claim the Dependent Care Tax Credit, regardless of whether or not your mom qualifies as a dependent on your tax return.

This credit can cut up to $1,050 off your tax bill for the year. In order to claim it, you must fill out IRS Form 2441 (irs.gov/pub/irs-

pdf/f2441.pdf) when you file your federal return.

Check your state In addition to the federal tax breaks, more than 20 states offer tax credits and deductions for caregivers on state income taxes. Check with your state tax agency to see what’s available. For links to state tax agencies, see www.taxadmin.org/state-tax-agencies.

Send your questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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20

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Travel Leisure &

Visiting Athens in winter means smaller crowds at the ancient Temple of Olympian Zeus and other sites. See story on page 22.

St. Augustine, Fla., America’s oldest city

A place of many firsts Given that history, it’s no surprise that the city is replete with attractions touted as the “first” and “oldest” in the nation. Together, they offer visitors a setting that captures not just the stories but also an authentic atmosphere of the past.

The appeals of St. Augustine wear the soft veneer of centuries, and attract guests seeking to explore and experience times gone by.

Granted, the influx of tourism has

brought with it touches of commercialism.

Sprinkled among the history-rich centuries-old buildings, monuments and museums is a smattering of tourist trappings.

But they’re overwhelmed by the authentic remnants of the settlement’s colorful past, which are scattered throughout the 144 square-block historic district.

The Colonial Quarter is a good place to begin exploring. That bustling two-acre complex recreates the changing chapters of St. Augustine’s colorful past as it evolved from a 16th century Spanish colony, to 17th century fortified town, to 18th century garrison.

The neighborhood is a living history museum. A blacksmith, carpenter and other costumed historic interpreters combine facts with fun as they help onlookers relive the way things were over the centuries.

Visitors may watch workmen employ centuries-old techniques to construct a sailing ship, learn how bartering once took place at the market square, and take part in musket and cannon drills.

PHOTO BY SEAN PAVONE

By Victor Block In 1607, a small band of settlers founded the first permanent English outpost in the Americas — Jamestown, in the Colony of Virginia. But by that time, another town already had existed since 1565, further south on what would later be called the East Coast.

Each November, we recall the Thanksgiving celebration that took place in 1621, when pilgrims in Plymouth, Mass., shared a feast with friendly Native Americans in appreciation for a bountiful harvest.

What’s less well known is that 55 years earlier, Spanish explorers much further south had participated in a similar occasion with members of another Indian tribe.

Last year, St. Augustine, Fla., where that often-overlooked event took place, celebrated its 450th anniversary. That supports its claim to be the oldest continuously-occupied European settlement in America.

The 90-year-old Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine crosses the intercoastal waterway.

It’s far younger than the city itself, which celebrated its 450th anniversary last year.

St. Augustine remained under Spanish rule from 1565 to 1821, which accounts for its ornate Mediterranean architecture.

Spanish colonization St. Augustine traces its European heritage to 1565, when an expedition led by Don Pedro Menendez-de Aviles, a Spanish admiral, landed and set up an encampment near a Timucuan Indian village. That tribe was one of a number of Native American groups which began occupying the area PHOTO COURTESY OF FLORIDASHISTORICCOAST.COM

The Oldest Wooden School House, which dates back to 1716, is open to the public.

It features an animatronic schoolmaster and pupils, dressed in period clothing, who describe what classes were like 300 years ago.

some 10,000 years ago.

Menendez was not the first Spanish explorer to come ashore in the region. In 1513, Ponce de Leon led the first known European expedition there in a quest to find and claim uncolonized islands — a journey that gave birth to the legend of the Fountain of Youth.

At the time, a fable about vitality-restoring waters was familiar on both sides of the Atlantic, but there is no historical evidence that de Leon was seeking to find that allegedly magical potion. Somehow, accounts of his supposed search found their way into history books after his death and the story stuck.

The combination of fiction with fact does not detract from the historical significance of the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. This is the place where Menendez encountered the friendly Timucua people and wrote the first chapter of American Colonial history, establishing the settlement which over time evolved into present-day St. Augustine.

Attractions include a reconstructed portion of the Indian village, ship building and other exhibits, a planetarium, and cannon and weapons demonstrations.

As St. Augustine grew, so did its role in Spain’s efforts to expand its influence and fortunes. Perched at a strategic point along the route followed by that country’s

treasure fleet carrying gold, silver and other valuables from the New World to Europe, it served as a vital frontier fortress.

Other than a brief interlude (1763-1784) when Great Britain gained control of Florida, St. Augustine remained under Spain’s rule. That accounts for the Mediterranean architecture and other reminders of Spanish influence. By the time the United States took possession of the city by treaty in 1821, it was already 256 years old.

Recreating the past Reminders of those early years line the cobblestone streets. A section of the Gonzalez-Alvarez house, aka “The Oldest House,” was constructed in the 1720s and is part of a small museum complex that traces 400 years of life in St. Augustine. The home was built in the Spanish Colonial style, with touches of Britain’s Colonial architecture, which were added when that country briefly controlled St. Augustine.

There’s more action of a sort at the Oldest Wooden School House, which records date back to 1716. The modest one-room timbered structure served as a dwelling before a second story was added and it became a school. Speaking animatronic figures of the schoolmaster and pupils dressed in period See ST. AUGUSTINE page 21

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BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

St. Augustine From page 20 clothing introduce themselves and describe a typical day of classes.

The Old Drug Store traces its history to about 1875 when, along with medicine and tobacco, it sold ancient Indian remedies and concoctions formulated by the pharmacist. One wall is lined with green, black and brown antique bottles, and primitive cash registers recall pre-computer days.

The Oldest Store Museum recreates the “modern” wonders of a general store that opened for business in 1900. Clerks demonstrate turn-of-the-century — the 20th century, that is — wonders like “health underwear,” a gas-powered iron, and a goat-driven washing machine!

Among a number of places in St. Augustine where visitors may encounter ghosts, or at least tales about them, is the Old Jail. This historic Victorian-style building, which resembles a fine hotel more than a prison, housed criminals from 1891 to 1953.

The gallows in back were used to administer capital punishment, and explain why the property is listed on the National Register of Haunted Places.

Even Mother Nature gets into the spirit of antiquity that pervades St. Augustine. A live oak tree nicknamed “The Old Senator,” whose rather unimposing home is the parking lot of a Howard Johnson hotel, has been shown by core tests to be more than 600 years old.

Given its important role at a time of exploration and conflict in the New World, St. Augustine has its share of forts. Most imposing is the Castillo de San Marcos, a massive 17th century stronghold built by the Spanish to defend the Florida coastline.

The fort was built of coquina (ko-KEEnuh) — soft limestone composed of broken sea shells — which absorbed the force of cannon balls and did not crumble. Some rooms surrounding the central courtyard are furnished to reflect garrison life, while others contain exhibits about military history.

A different story comes to light at the site of Fort Mose (Moh-say), hidden away in marshes north of St. Augustine. There, in 1738, a group of slaves who had escaped from British colonies built a log fortress

and founded the first free community of ex-slaves.

While the original structure is long gone, a small museum describes the events by means of videos, interactive exhibits and objects found during archaeological digs.

Speaking of archaeology...

St. Augustine’s age makes it an archaeologist’s dream location. A wealth of artifacts has been uncovered over the years, and much more remains buried beneath the streets, buildings and back yards.

So seriously do locals take this quest for knowledge that St. Augustine claims to be the only city in the country with an archaeologist on its payroll. An ordinance requires that an exploratory dig take place before any new construction may begin in the historic district.

Some 100,000 artifacts have been uncovered at the Fountain of Youth Park, including Native American pottery, carved beads, shell tools and three dog burial sites. Evidence of the 16th century Spanish settlement there ranges from religious amulets to olive jars.

Work at the Fort Mose site has uncovered objects that shed light on the social, religious and military life at that unique settlement. There’s often a dig underway somewhere in the city that interested visitors may observe.

While the more than 60 historic sites and attractions are the main reason most people visit St. Augustine, it also manages to keep one foot planted firmly in the present. Sun worshippers find a choice of inviting beaches that stretch some 40 miles north to Ponte Vedra, just above Jacksonville, each with its own appeals.

The two-mile long beach at Anastasia State Park consists of gleaming white quartz sand. Aptly-named Crescent Beach is one of the most scenic and unspoiled in the area. A statue of Ponce de Leon guards the towering dunes and shell-laden shore of Ponte Vedra Beach, which he spotted during his 1513 journey.

A beach watched over by Ponce de Leon makes a fitting symbol for what awaits visitors to St. Augustine and the area around it. While history is the biggest draw, present-day activities make welcome additions to the mix.

The oldest city in the country is home to enough variety to appeal to people of all ages and many interests.

If you go Places to stay and dine can become part of the immersion in St. Augustine’s history and atmosphere. The St. Francis Inn was constructed in 1791, and while it has been expanded and modified over the centuries, it clings proudly to vestiges of its Spanish Colonial heritage.

Situated to provide protection in case of invasion, the building has its back turned to the brick-paved street. Its plan was based on a trapezoid with no right angles, and guests may spot examples of that quirky layout.

Each of the 17 guest rooms and suites is unique in shape, and furnished with antique and reproduction period pieces.

21

Complementary amenities include a solar-heated swimming pool, breakfast featuring hot entrees, and evening wine, beer and tasty treats. Rates begin at $149. For more information, call 1-800- 824-6062 or log onto www.stfrancisinn.com.

More recent history is relived at the Ice Plant restaurant, located in a building that in 1927 began providing ice to shrimp boats and local customers. The original bridge crane and other touches provide the feeling of walking into an old factory.

Specialties at the farm-to-table restaurant include hearty fish soup with rice pilaf ($28), and pork belly with sides ($20), along with favorites like a half-pound hamburger ($15). For more information, call (904) 8296553 or log onto www.iceplantbar.com.

See ST. AUGUSTINE page 22

22

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

Avoid the crowds: visit Athens in winter

By Aron Heller As a seaside metropolis with a lively outdoor vibe and dozens of picturesque islands beckoning nearby, Athens is more often considered a summer tourist destination than a winter escape.

But if you’ve got more than beaches on your mind, there’s plenty of upside to a brief cool visit that avoids the crowds and heat of summer.

Athens is one of the world’s oldest cities, often called the cradle of Western civiliza-

tion. Visitors will find monuments to ancient history on nearly every path they take.

But with interesting neighborhoods, trendy shops and a variety of cafes and tavernas serving that famous Greek cuisine, Athens’ attractions are not all rooted in the past.

The city is easy to get around by bus or metro, and most major attractions are within walking distance of each other.

High temperatures in February average 52 degrees.

Here’s a suggested itinerary for a threeday visit.

The Acropolis The centerpiece of ancient Greece and modern-day Athens, the Acropolis literally stands above everything else and looms majestically over the city. It is particularly striking to view at night, when brilliantly illuminated.

A 10-euro entrance fee to the compound takes you along a course of the central structures of Greek mythology, as you climb past the Theatre of Dionysus, the Propylaea, the Erechtheion and the Herodeon amphitheatre — which still

St. Augustine From page 21 The name of Barnacle Bill’s Seafood House indicates its focus, and the good food and budget-stretching prices attract many locals. Florida ‘gator tail (yes, it tastes like chicken), costs $10.95, and a choice of shrimp dishes prepared any of nine ways is priced from $13.25 to $16.25. Several of the 16 side

hosts the occasional live performance.

A 20-minute walk to the top unveils the most famous structure of all, the Parthenon — a former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the city’s patron. At the moment, the scaffolding of its prolonged restoration project takes a bit away from its grandeur.

Most of the Acropolis’ treasures are housed in the nearby Acropolis Museum (entrance 5 euros), such as colossal stone statues depicting mythological scenes from ancient Greece.

One of the museum’s most impressive features is actually the architecture that inSee ATHENS, page 23

dishes can constitute a meal in themselves.

For more information, call (904) 824-3663 or log onto www.barnaclebillsonline.com.

The closest major airport to St. Augustine is in Jacksonville, about 40 miles away. The lowest roundtrip fare from BWI in midMarch is $315 on American Airlines.

For more tourist information on St. Augustine, call 1-800-653-2489 or log onto floridashistoriccoast.com.

BEACON BITS

Apr. 4

NATIONAL CATHEDRAL TOUR AND TEA

Kaleidoscope Lifelong Learning at Roland Park Country School will host a tour of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., followed by high tea in the St. Paul Room with its magnificent views of the city. The trip is scheduled for Tuesday, April 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cost is $100.

For more information, call (410) 323-5500 or visit www.rpcs.org.

Ongoing

WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES

University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, 7601 Osler Dr. in Towson, holds free weekly yoga classes on Mondays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. No registration required. Call (410) 337-1479 for more information and directions.

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BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

seum of Greek Folk Art (2 euros).

From page 22

Sounion

cludes glass floors through which you can see the ruins that lay below. A full view of the Acropolis spreads out from the second and third floor galleries.

There are plenty of other ancient sites to visit across the city, but the most comprehensive is likely the nearby Ancient Agora on the Acropolis’ northwest slope. Its impressive Temple of Hephaistos is nestled among ruins overgrown with green foliage from the winter rains. It houses a large assortment of ancient vases, figurines, coins and headless statues.

A same-day excursion to one of the three nearby islands of Aegina, Poros or Hydra is possible. But with a limited winter ferry schedule the journey will likely take longer than the actual stay.

A more rewarding outing is the 90-minute bus ride along the “Greek Riviera” down to the southern peninsula of Sounion, where the Temple of Poseidon reveals a breathtaking view of the sea.

The deep blue waters ripple around the ancient hilltop structure dedicated to the god of the sea. The salty breeze offers an escape from the bustle of Athens, as mountains jut out of the sea and the rocky ancient landscape provides a tranquil parting from Greece.

The lowest round-trip fare to Athens from BWI in mid-March is $730 on American Airlines.

— AP

Lycabettus Hill There are views of the Acropolis from everywhere, but the best one in town is from Lycabettus Hill. After a pleasant but steep hike up a winding trail, a panoramic view of the sprawling city is revealed.

There’s a little church at the top, Agii Isidori, and ample angles from which to photograph Athens.

An early morning visit will put the sun behind you as you gaze across the city toward the Acropolis, with the shores of the Aegean Sea lapping in the distance. Part of the fun is getting there via a stroll from the center of town through the upscale Kolonaki neighborhood, with its bustling cafes and designer merchandise.

Plaka Just south of Syntagma is Plaka, a historical neighborhood built upon the ancient town of Athens. Known as the “Neighborhood of the Gods’’ because of its proximity to the Acropolis, its maze-like narrow streets are a joy to explore.

Amid remnants of archaeological sites, there’s street art, small shops and restaurants. A real gem is Psaras, an old-style taverna off the main drag, popular with locals and tourists. The baked feta pastry appetizer dipped in honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds is a treat to warm up a winter day.

Besides the Acropolis Museum, the neighborhood is also home to the Jewish Museum of Greece (6 euros) and the Mu-

The Herodeon amphitheatre on Athens’ Acropolis, also called the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, is a UNESCO World Heritage site originally built in the year 161. It was restored in the 1950s, and today is a main venue of the Athens Festival.

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Syntagma Square This is the heart of the city, and site of mass protests in recent years over the Greek economic crisis. The square is right in front of parliament and the tomb of the unknown soldier, where soldiers in kiltlike garments and red leather clogs with black pompoms perform elaborate changing-of-the-guard ceremonies several times a day.

To the west, busy Ermou street offers the city’s primary shopping district. It leads toward the neighborhoods of Monastiraki, which has a large, busy Sunday morning flea market, and Psyrri, with a wide selection of bars and live music tavernas.

Recommended eateries include O Kostas (5 Pentelis St.), a hole in the wall known for excellent souvlaki. At Lukumades (Eolou Street and Agias Irinis Square), try the deep-fried doughnut ball doused in honey.

PHOTO BY ANTON IVANOV

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

More Americans choose to retire abroad

By Maria Zamudio Newly widowed, Kay McCowen quit her job, sold her house, applied for Social Security and retired to Mexico. It was a move she and her husband, Mel, had discussed before he passed away in 2012.

“I wanted to find a place where I could afford to live off my Social Security,” she said. “The weather here is so perfect, and it’s a beautiful place.”

She is among a growing number of Americans who are retiring outside the United States. The number grew 17 percent between 2010 and 2015, and is expected to increase over the next 10 years as more baby boomers retire.

Just under 400,000 American retirees are now living abroad, according to the Social Security Administration. The countries they have chosen most often are Canada, Japan, Mexico, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Retirees most often cite the cost of living as the reason for moving elsewhere, said Olivia S. Mitchell, director of the Pension Research Council at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

“I think that many people retire when they are in good health, and they are interested in stretching their dollars and seeing the world,” Mitchell said.

Low cost, but language difficulties McCowen’s rent in Ajijic, a community outside Guadalajara near Mexico’s Lake Chapala, is half of what she was paying in Texas.

And since the weather is moderate, utility bills are low.

In some countries, Mitchell said, retirees also may find it less expensive to hire someone to do their laundry, clean, cook, and even provide long-term care than in the United States.

McCowen has a community of other American retirees nearby and has adjusted well.

But for others, there are hurdles to overcome to adjust to life in a different country.

Viviana Rojas, an associate professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said the biggest obstacle is not speaking the language or knowing the culture.

“Many of the people we interviewed said they spoke Spanish, but they actually spoke ver y little Spanish,” said Rojas, who is writing a book about retirees in Mexico. “They didn’t have the capacity of speaking enough Spanish to meet their basic needs, like going to the doctor or to the store.”

Access to healthcare also can be a challenge. While retirees still can receive Social Security benefits, Medicare is not available to those living abroad, Mitchell said.

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Military retirees in Japan Joseph Roginski, 71, said that while the cost of living is higher in Japan, access to healthcare is not. “Things are very expensive here. It is impossible to live off Social Security alone,” said Roginski, who was stationed in Japan in 1968.

“But health insurance is a major factor in staying here,” he added. The former military language and intelligence specialist said he pays $350 annually to be part of Japan’s national health insurance. His policy covers 70 percent of his costs. The rest is covered by a secondary insurance program for retired military personnel.

Japan experienced greater growth in American retirees than any other country — a 42 percent increase between 2010 and 2014, according to data from the Social Security Administration. The large U.S. military presence in the country may be a factor.

There are more than 50,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan. The presence is so large that the U.S. military occupies about 19 percent of the island of Okinawa, according to Ellis S. Krauss, professor emeritus of Japanese politics and policy-making at the University of California, San Diego.

Roginski, who volunteers for the Misawa Air Base Retiree Activities Office, said he helps connect more than 450 retirees and their families living in Northern Japan with resources.

He said he would never move back to the United States. “We have a real strong sense of security here,” he said. “I can leave my door unlocked, and no one will take anything.

When I go to another country, I feel nervous.

But when I come back, I feel like I’m home.”

Mexico has become home for Dan Williams, 72, a retired firefighter, and his wife, Donna, 68. The couple has been living near the same retirement community in Lake Chapala for 14 years. “The climate and the medical services are very good,” Williams said.

Williams teaches painting to adults and children, and puts together a monthly magazine for the local American Legion.

He is also a member of the Lake Chapala Society, which offers daily activities for American retirees.

It was those same services that attracted McCowen to the region. “Before moving, I found out how many widowed and divorced women lived here,” she said.

“There is comfort in numbers.”

She says she loves being in a lively community. “I see older people walking yearround. I see them all over the place, even in their wheelchairs.

“If they were in the U.S., they would probably be in a nursing home,” she said.

“I don’t think I could move back.” — AP

Tell your friends about the Beacon!

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25

How to use credit and debit cards abroad If you’re heading outside the United PIN or a signature, depending on the local States, you will have to cope with foreign ex- hardware, but that hasn’t happened. For now, you’re stuck with chip-and-sigchange. And despite all those stories you see about currency nature, but that’s apparently a “secrets,” what you need to relatively minor problem. know is really pretty simple.

• The rip-off you’re most Overall, your best bet is to likely to encounter is a seller’s use plastic as much as possiattempt to get you to accept a ble: credit cards for big-ticket billing in U.S. dollars rather purchases, debit cards for than local currency. When a local cash. seller bills in dollars, the seller When you use a credit card sets the exchange rate — outside the U.S., the most you which is almost always a lot lose on any transaction is 3 per- TRAVEL TIPS worse than the official rate. You cent, as long as you don’t fall for By Ed Perkins won’t avoid any foreign exa scam. Almost all credit cards issued by U.S. banks carry no more than a 3 percent conversion fee, and over the last few years, most of the big banks now issue at least one card with no foreign transaction fee.

At most, you still pay the 1 percent fee that international MasterCard and Visa networks charge for making the actual conversion, but that’s trivial.

Credit card concerns Unfortunately, the credit card isn’t as foolproof as it could and should be: • Although your current card is as likely as not to have a chip on it, most U.S. chip cards still require a signature rather than a four-digit PIN when used. And although merchants almost everywhere accept chipand-signature, a few automated ticket and gasoline dispensing machines require a PIN. Over the last three years, I’ve used a chip-and-signature card in a dozen countries, and the only time it didn’t work was at an automatic gasoline pump in Mount Cook, New Zealand.

I’ve asked experts several times, but nobody can give me a coherent reason why a chip card can’t be designed to use either a

outfits such as Travelex have made exclusive ATM deals with major airports, and they’ve recently expanded into city areas where tourists tend to congregate.

The scam here is that although these ATMs add no fees, they make the exchange at a really bad rate — as bad as they give you at the retail counter, which is usually very bad indeed. When you need local cash, make sure you get it through a major bank, not a foreign exchange outfit or a local retailer.

And what about exchange rates? I’m glad I

don’t speculate in currencies, because I thought the pound would bounce back quickly after the Brexit vote shock, and that the euro would take a hit. Neither happened.

So at least for now, with the pound still near a 10-year low, Britain is relatively affordable. The Canadian dollar, euro and Swiss franc remain pretty stable.

Send your e-mail to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net. Also, check out his new rail travel website at www.rail-guru.com. © 2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

change surcharge, either; your bank adds it on any charge originating outside the U.S. regardless of currency.

Using debit cards The situation with using debit (ATM) cards for local currency is a bit more complicated. When you withdraw cash from a foreign ATM, your own bank may add a transaction fee, a conversion fee, or both, and the bank that operates the ATM may also add a charge.

Your best approach here is to use a debit card issued by a U.S. bank that does not surcharge foreign withdrawals and absorbs foreign-bank fees. This includes a handful of online banks, many savings banks, and many credit unions.

If your regular bank’s ATM policy is not friendly to foreign travelers, I suggest you do as I do: find an online or savings bank that absorbs foreign ATM fees, maintain a small account with that bank, transfer funds into it for foreign trips, and use its debit card for whatever currency you need.

Regardless of which debit card you use, you have to be careful about where you use it. In recent years, retail foreign-exchange

Exhibit Opening: Sunday March 5 At the Jewish Museum of Maryland 15 Lloyd St, Baltimore, MD 21202

community leader.

I’M NOT A SENIOR. I’M A

At Integrace, we know your age does not define you.

So we’ve created a family of life plan communities where you can live the life that’s most meaningful to you.

Anne Neary Bayleigh Chase resident council president and Chesapeake College professor

This one-of-a-kind exhibit uses photographs, documents, artifacts and stories to explore and remember Auschwitz – past, present and future – through history and art. Bringing together four projects into a single whole, this exhibit is not to be missed.

Remembering Auschwitz: History, Holocaust, Humanity will be on display MARCH 5 THROUGH MAY 29, 2017.

JewishMuseumMd.org

Call now to schedule your tour Bayleigh Chase | Easton | 410-763-7167 Buckingham’s Choice | Adamstown | 301-644-1604 Fairhaven | Sykesville | 410-795-8801 Integrace.org A Not-for-profit Community

facebook.com/jewishmuseummd @jewishmuseummd @jmm_md

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Style Arts &

Ken and Julie Girardini often use cold rolled steel in creating their contemporary artwork. They will show their work at the ACC Craft Show Feb. 24 to 26. See story below.

Sykesville couple design an artistic life Eight years and many long nights and weekends later, Ken left his job with Goddard, and he and Julie began a full-time career in fine craft. Together they have built a business that creates objects ranging from functional craft to sculpture, painting and photography.

Craft shows and commissions Despite their proficiency in a variety of media, it’s contemporary metalwork that is their longstanding passion. Self-taught, the Girardinis work primarily with cold rolled steel, adding elements of brass, copper and stainless steel to their designs.

Their work will be on display, and for sale, at the ACC Craft Show from February 24 to 26 at the Baltimore Convention Center. In addition, their pieces are available at Zenith Gallery in Washington, D.C., through the Artful Home catalog and also by commission.

It is their commission work that they find the most interesting. “We enjoy creating just the right piece for a client,” they said. “We like the interaction and the input.”

And since they work so closely with

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIE GIARDINI

By Carol Sorgen Julie and Ken Girardini are married not only to each other, but to their art as well.

The husband and wife design team have been creating contemporary metalwork pieces since 1990, working out of a studio on their 3½ -acre property in Sykesville.

The Girardinis met when both were living in Colorado. They’ve been married for 30 years, and designing and crafting together for 24.

Ken, who is 58, has been a painter since he was a teen, and Julie, 53, started out as a potter. Before becoming metalsmiths, they also worked in a variety of other media, and still do.

“There’s really no medium we won’t try,” said Ken, a former officer in the U.S. Air Force. “We don’t like to be pigeonholed.”

After moving to Maryland, where Ken worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, he and Julie were introduced to the American Craft Council’s Craft Show in Baltimore. “We were blown away,” said Ken. “We realized that people could actually make a living by making things with their hands.”

their clients, the couple usually leaves the project with newfound friends.

Julie sees her art as way to heighten awareness about social concerns, using imagery to evoke emotion.

“I am obligated to observe the world around me and make some sense of it through visual means,” she said, adding that she is influenced by the journeys we take in our lives, traveling from one phase of life to another.

“Sometimes it involves a physical move. Other times it is an emotional shift. How do we make it feel like home? When do we know we are ready to move on? Do we get stuck on concepts of safety and security, or do we honor Sparks fly as Julie Girardini works to shape metal into the opportunity for one of the artworks she creates either on her own or growth?” with her fellow artist (and husband) Ken. The physical Julie said she symbol- work involved has led the couple to start strength trainizes these journeys ing to keep up with the demands of their craft. through her use of iconic Her primary use of steel gives permaforms such as boats, nests and houses.

“For me these forms hold our histories of nence to these structures, Julie explained, where we have been and where we are See ARTIST COUPLE, page 29 going.”

Cars, boats, furniture, antiques, tools, appliances Everything and anything is sold on

Radio Flea Market Heard every Sunday, 7-8:00 a.m. on 680 WCBM

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

27

When it comes to food, small is in vogue

Miniature tea party, bakery Last year’s grand prize winners, and this

year’s primary organizers, are Peggy Hoffman and Barbara Wilgus, with their entry “Ladies who Lunch” — an entire tea service in miniature.

Other notable previous entries include a Berger’s Cookies entry two years ago that featured a miniature retail shelving printed in Berger’s brown with stick-of-gumsized logoed boxes of Berger’s cookies, as well as another entry featuring a French boulangerie in miniature with homemade assorted breads including croissants and baguettes.

This year’s event will feature an inaugural children’s competition beginning at 7 p.m. prior to the main event at 8 p.m.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BERGER’S COOKIES

By Jennifer L. Waldera While portion sizes of American foods are known for being, well, generous to say the least, that certainly won’t be the case at this year’s 12th annual Small Foods Party on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the American Visionary Art Museum.

This yearly event offers an opportunity for creative cooks to showcase the tiniest versions of their favorite foods. From miniature sandwiches on bite-sized biscuits to the teeniest of displays of decadent desserts, the party is always a celebration of food in its smallest form.

The quirky concept began in 2006 among a group of Baltimore artists and friends who elevated their yearly holiday celebration to competition level with the challenge of creating the tastiest, yet tiniest, hors d’oeuvres.

With an increased interest from other locals in being a part of the miniature foodmaking, the event grew from a homebased holiday party to a competition large enough to warrant a public venue.

“I think Small Foods kind of created itself,” said Autumn Breaud, one of the event organizers. “The founding members are all artists, and over time, the event just morphed from a dinner party to a competition.”

While original founders Melissa Webb, Kelley Bell, Kristin Anchor and Edward Knapp no longer organize the event (though they may occasionally compete or judge), previous winners are now happy to take over the planning and hosting of the yearly contest that draws 20 to 50 competitors and over 200 guests.

Audience chooses winners In the main competition, categories for judging include the Golden Toothpick (smallest version of a food item in relation to its typical size), the Bright Idea (most creative small food), the Yummo (most delicious), the Blue Plate Special (an entire meal in miniature), the Judge’s Award (a hand-selected judge-based winner), and the Grand Prize (the dish that stands out in two or more categories and has captured “the hearts, minds and stomachs of the people”).

Potential winners are whittled down to a choice of three by judges, with final selections made by the level of crowd applause.

Prizes include trophies crafted by Baltimore artist Minas Konsolas, as well as gift certificates for events, restaurants and local retail shops. To match the eccentricity of the event, the Grand Prize winner also takes home the most coveted prize: a gigantic can of miniature corn.

Tickets to the event are $10 for noncompetitors; $5 for competitors (free for

This miniature retail shelf with tiny boxes of Baltimore-based Berger’s Cookies was entered into a Small Foods party and contest two years ago. This year’s party, which is open to the public, will be held at the American Visionary Arts Museum on Feb. 25.

competitors who are members of the American Visionary Art Museum).

Tickets can be purchased online at bit.ly/SmallFoodsTickets. A portion of the proceeds are donated to Moveable Feast.

Competitors (who may compete individ-

ually or in teams) can visit www.smallfoodsparty.com for details.

The American Visionary Art Museum is located at 800 Key Highway. For more information about the museum, call (410) 244-1900 or visit www.avam.org.

SAVE T HE DATE!

BEACON BITS

Mar. 3

WOOD PALLET PAINTING AT RPCS

Roland Park Country School’s Kaleidoscope Lifelong Learning Program will hold a wood pallet painting class on Friday, March 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the school, 5204 Roland Ave. The $60 fee includes all art material and instruction. Snacks will be provided, and you are welcome to bring your beverage of choice. No experience is necessary. For more information, call (410) 323-5500 or visit www.rpcs.org.

free event for caregivers, seniors, and health professionals

A SPRING TO REMEMBER

Assisted Living & Memory Care

SHANGRI-LA SENIOR LIVING PROUDLY INVITES YOU TO OUR

2017 50+ SYMPOSIUM:

TWO GREAT DAYS TO MEET THE MYERBERG IN MARCH!

Saturday, April 22, 2017 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Art Show, Thursday, March 23 • 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Open House, Friday, March 24 • 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Join us for happy hour!

Come see us hopping!

Myerberg Center • 3101 Fallstaff Road, Baltimore | LEARN MORE myerberg.org • 410-358-6856

Be Fit • Be Creative • Be Connected

Be a Member

A Spring to Remember

Continental breakfast will be served.

Shangri-La Ballroom | 4495 Montgomery Road, Ellicott City

for more information and to register online visit

www.ShangrilaSeniorLiving.com/Spring

28

Arts & Style | More at TheBeaconNewspapers.com

Dancing From page 1 a 10-year period were 49 percent less likely to die of heart disease than those who rarely or never danced.

Social benefits, too Another benefit of ballroom dancing, added Pattillo, is the social contact it affords, whether you’re married or single.

“Being around people who enjoy the same activities is a huge antidote to isolation, and a great way to meet people and enlarge one’s social circle.”

That’s one of the objectives of the weekly Sunday afternoon tea dances held specifically for seniors at the Promenade DanceSport Facility in Windsor Mill. “It’s the most well-attended dance of my week-

end, with regular patrons well into their 80s and 90s, along with dancers of all ages,” said owner Cindy Sumida.

At Charlestown Retirement Community, residents are dancing their way to health, wellness and good times, led by fellow resident Jack Jackson, 91, who has been teaching ballroom dancing there for the last eight years.

“Whenever I hear dance music, it makes me feel like I want to get up and move,” said Jackson. He taught dance on nights and weekends throughout his career as a Baltimore County elementary school teacher. “I’ve taught the fox trot, waltz, cha-cha and swing, and I still like to do tango and samba.”

At the recent Charlestown Follies, Jackson even performed a tap dance rendition of Gene Kelly’s iconic “Singin’ in the Rain,”

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

ADVOCATE FOR CHILDREN A court-appointed special advocate (or CASA) is a trained volun-

teer advocate who serves as the eyes and ears of the court in cases of child abuse and neglect. CASAs gather information from the youth, his biological parents, foster parents, teachers, counselors, etc., and make recommendations to the judge as to what is in the youth’s best interest, helping him make a successful transition to adulthood. Call (888) 844-2272 or visit www.marylandcasa.org to learn more.

MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

complete with umbrella.

Charlestown residents Anne Kredell and Dan Cieslowski have been taking lessons with Jackson for the past four years.

“Before this, I never danced in my entire life,” said Kredell. “We saw a flyer posted in the community, and it sounded like fun.

We really have a good time together.”

Jackson, who once taught at Arthur Murray Dance Studio, said that dancing has helped keep him in good health over the years.

“It’s a great way to exercise,” he explained. “Once you get into it, it’s hard to pull yourself away, it’s so much fun.

Health-wise, I’m in darn good condition compared to other people my age. I attribute that to a lifetime of dancing.”

Norma Wolff also prefers to dance her way to good health. “I started taking tap and jazz classes at a senior center when we lived in Rhode Island,” Wolff said.

“When we moved to Charlestown, I decided to start teaching a line dancing class there. The first class was so full we could barely move, so I split the group into two separate classes.”

Wolff believes that dancing has helped her stay in shape both mentally and physically. “You have to think about the steps and remember them, and then do them,” she said. “It’s all around good for you.”

Wolff enjoys dancing and performing so much that she organized a musical variety show along with some of the students in

her classes.

“We do a combination of dance, short skits and singing — similar to a vaudevilletype show,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but we’ve had a great time together.”

“I love to move to music,” Wolff said.

For more information At Beginning Ballroom, classes range from $65 to $85 for private lessons (1 or 2 people); $95 to $115 for semi-private (up to 6 persons); or $15 to $20 per person for group lessons. Call (410) 231-3262 or visit www.beginningballroom.com.

At Towson Dance Studio, group classes range from $70 to $90 for a 4-week class, depending on the length of the class (60 to 90 minutes). One-hour private lessons for 1 or 2 persons cost around $90. Call (410) 828-6116 or visit TowsonDanceStudio.com At the Promenade DanceSport Facility, group classes are $10 per person for an hour class, $15 for 1.5 hours. Private lessons range from $60 to $125 per hour, depending on the instructor. Admission to weekend social dances is $15 ($10 for single gentlemen willing to mix), preceded by beginner and intermediate lessons. Retired and active military admitted free on Friday nights with ID. Visit www.mddancesport.com.

In addition to the studios mentioned in this article, check your local senior center to see what dancing classes may be offered.

Say you saw it in the Beacon | Arts & Style

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

Artist couple From page 26 but she “pushes the boundaries” by mixing in elements of glass, wire, paper and encaustic (hot wax painting) to bring about “a feeling of fragility and the ethereal nature of life.”

Metal tests their mettle While it all sounds grand, the life of an artist has its ups and downs, the Girardinis say. “We work an awful lot,” said Ken. They have found as they get older that the physical demands of working with metal have become more challenging. As a result, they have begun strength training to allow them to continue the work they love. “Otherwise, we could wind up mak-

ing something lightweight, like jewelry,” Ken laughed.

The upside of working independently is a flexible schedule, allowing them to pursue their love of travel and spend time with their many friends.

The couple is also grateful that after more than two decades of being full-time independent artists, they have made a name for themselves. “We’re not rich but we’re making a living,” said Julie.

They have exhibited in many of the finest juried craft shows across the country. Ken’s work is in many private collections as well as the Embassy of the United States in Canada. He has received four State of Maryland Individual Artist Awards spanning three different categories.

Julie’s work can also be found in such venues as the National Gallery of Art, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

It was a chance meeting that brought the two together when Julie attended a pottery class on the wrong night. But that happy “accident” has led to both personal and professional success for this couple who chose both each other and to make art their life.

The American Craft Council’s annual Craft Show will be held at the Convention Center, 1 West Pratt Street, on February 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., February 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and February 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. One-day pass is $14; three-day pass, $34. For more information, visit www.craftcouncil.org.

For more information on Julie and Ken Girardini, visit www.girardinifineart.com.

BEACON BITS

Ongoing

STARGAZING AT THE SCIENCE CENTER See the moon, planets and stars through the Maryland Science

Center’s historic and now computer-controlled Alvan Clark & Sons 8 refracting telescope on Friday nights from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (410) 545-2999 or visit www.mdsci.org.

ANSWERS TO CROSSWORD

FROM PAGE 30 ANSWERS TO SCRABBLE

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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Crossword Puzzle

PUZZLE PAGE

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1. Wild incoherent orator 6. Silly escapade 11. Cease to be inflated 14. Become frosty 15. Heavenly glows 16. Historic period 17. Stylish refrigerator adornments 19. St. Elsewhere extras 20. High-water front 21. Gives permission 22. Counterbalance to liability 24. Revenge of the Sith episode nbr.

26. Pastries which mean “flashes of lightning” in French 28. Maritime physician 33. Calendar square 34. Close in on 35. “Z __ zebra” 36. Editor’s second thought 38. Prefix appearing twice in AT&T 40. Org. that awards over 250 trophies to universities each year 43. City midway between Dallas and Austin 46. Prepare flour for baking 49. He won his first heavyweight belt in 1964 50. Part of a dog breeder’s ad 53. Take up a new hobby 54. Countdown conclusion 55. Monopoly payments 56. The brothers Gibb, for example 59. She was sew important to the American Revolution 63. Amazement 64. Roast reptiles 67. -y, pluralized 68. Attract the attention of the Federal Trade Commission 69. Flat paper 70. “___ Miserables” 71. Removed tension 72. Give a green light to

1. High-calorie 2. Head or heart ailment 3. It hides brides 4. The “father of geometry” 5. Engine stat.

6. Actor Nicolas, originally named Coppola 7. Khloe Kardashian (to North West) 8. Arranged ahead of time 9. ___, Pray, Love 10. Second-hand houses 11. Siamese sidekick 12. Foul-tempered 13. Intense histories 18. She said “I don’t want to go among mad people” to a cat 23. Pioneer of polio prevention 25. Final three of a million 27. Half of a Latin dance 28. NFL stars’ six-pointers 29. Magician’s hiding spot 30. First-hand reporter 31. Porridge ingredient 32. Just picked 37. Unspoken 39. Misstatement 41. Brewpub selection 42. Publicize dirty laundry 44. Take in calories 45. Frequently 47. Lowest point 48. Metal abbreviated as Sn on the periodic chart 50. Youth sports level 51. Bellhops 52. Toyota model produced until 1999 53. Subject of a knight’s day-dream 57. Latest fad 58. Finished preparing a cake 60. Autumn birthstone 61. Unexceptional 62. Remain agitated 65. Mermaid’s home 66. Ending for pay or Cray

Answers on page 29.

BALTIMORE BEACON — MARCH 2017

CLASSIFIEDS The Beacon prints classified advertising under the following headings: Business & Employment Opportunities; Caregivers; Computer Services; Entertainment; For Sale; For Sale/Rent: Real Estate; Free; Health; Home/ Handyman Services; Miscellaneous; Personals; Personal Services; Vacation Opportunities; and Wanted. For submission guidelines and deadlines, see the box on the right.

CAVEAT EMPTOR! The Beacon does not knowingly accept obscene, offensive, harmful, or fraudulent advertising. However, we do not investigate any advertisers or their products and cannot accept responsibility for the integrity of either. Respondents to classified advertising should always use caution and their best judgment.

EMPLOYMENT & REAL ESTATE ADS: We will not knowingly or intentionally accept advertising in violation of federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status or handicap in connection with employment or the sale or rental of real estate.

Financial Services TAXES, ACCOUNTING, AND BOOKKEEPING, eldercare. CPA Over 40 years of experience, reasonable rates. Call 410-653-3363.

For Sale BURIAL LOTS, PARKWOOD CEMETERY. 2 lots w/ vaults. Value $5,000, asking $2,500. H. 410-661-2698. C. 443-928-9521.

2 SALVADOR DALI woodblock prints from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Signed and framed.

Asking $900 for the pair. Can email pictures if desired. Call Steve, 410-913-1653.

Health ADULT SIBLING SUPPORT GROUP. Free group for those suffering from the consequences of dysfunctional sibling relationships. Let’s talk and support one another. Park Heights/Pikesville area. Joyce, 410-358-0977.

Say you saw it in the Beacon

Home/Handymand Services BORN AGAIN REFINISHING c/o Vernon E. Madairy Sr. Because your antique and fine furniture is an investment. Photographs at www.bornagainrefinishing.com. Furniture refinishing & repairs. All pieces hand stripped.

Restorations. Missing pieces hand-carved. Veneer repair and replaced. Upholstery. Kitchen cabinets refinished. Hand-woven natural cane.

Cane webbing. Natural rush. Fiber rush. Wood splint. Residential and commercial. Since 1973 (43 years). 410-323-0467.

SANFORD & SON JUNK REMOVAL. Trash + Junk removal, house & estate cleanouts, garage + basement cleanouts. Demolition – Shed, deck fence + pool removal. Licensed + insured. Free estimates over the phone. Call 7 days a week, 7 am to 7 pm. 410-746-5090.

Personals YOUTHFUL, BLACK, SINGLE 62 YO woman in search of activity friend to enjoy various kinds of social entertainment with. Some of my interests are: dining out, museums, dancing, movies, karaoke, theatre, concerts, thrift store shopping. If you are a woman, please also feel free to contact me. 443-622-5475.

SINGLE VERY ATTRACTIVE white female, age 60, looking to meet white male, 60 years old or older. Call Patty, 443-845-7802.

Wanted WE BUY STERLING SILVER FLATWARE, tea sets, single pieces of silver, large pieces of silver plate. Attic, basement, garage. You have something to SELL, we like to BUY. Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

BUYING ANTIQUES, ESTATES. 20-year Beacon advertiser. Cash paid for jewelry, gold, silver, old coins, pens, art, old toys, dolls, trains, watches, old comics, sports memorabilia, military guns, knives, swords, all collections. Tom, 240-476-3441.

CASH BUYER FOR OLD COSTUME JEWELRY – wrist and pocket watches (any condition). Also buying watchmaker tools and parts, coins, quilts, old toys, postcards, trains, guns, pocket and hunting knives, linens, fishing equipment and tackle boxes, fountain pens, Christmas garden items, crocks and jugs, lamps and lanterns, pottery, military items, sports memorabilia, advertising signs, paintings and contents of attics, basements and garages. Professional, no pressure individual with over forty years of experience. Lloyd D. Baker. 410-4094965.

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED Deadlines and Payments: Ad text and payment is due by the 5th of each month.

Note: Only ads received and prepaid by the deadline will be included in the next month’s issue. Please type or print your ad carefully. Include a number where you can be reached in the event of a question. Payment is due with ad. We do not accept ads by phone or fax, nor do we accept credit cards.

Private Party Text Ads: For individuals seeking to buy or sell particular items, or place a personal ad. Each ad is $10 for 25 words, 25 cents for each additional word.

Business Text Ads: For parties engaged in an ongoing business enterprise. Each ad is $25 for 25 words, 50 cents for each additional word.

Note: Each real estate listing counts as one business text ad.

Send your classified ad with check or money order, payable to the Beacon, to:

The Beacon, Baltimore Classified Dept.

P.O. Box 2227, Silver Spring, MD 20915-2227 Wanted

Wanted

COLLECTOR SEEKING VINTAGE CAMPAIGN memorabilia, especially presidential, preNixon. Call Van, 410-448-9403. Leave message.

FINE ANTIQUES, PAINTINGS AND QUALITY VINTAGE FURNISHINGS wanted by a serious capable buyer. I am very well educated [law degree] knowledgeable [over 40 years in the antique business] and have the finances and wherewithal to handle virtually any situation. If you have a special item, collection or important estate I would like to hear from you. I pay great prices for great things in all categories from oriental rugs to Tiffany objects, from rare clocks to firearms, from silver and gold to classic cars. If it is wonderful, I am interested. No phony promises or messy consignments. References gladly furnished. Please call Jake Lenihan, 301-2798834. Thank you.

WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER JEWELRY. Costume too. Gold and silver coins, paper money, military, crocks, old bottles and jars, etc.

Call Greg, 717-658-7954.

BUYING VINYL RECORDS from 1950 through 1985. Jazz, Rock-n-Roll, Soul, Rhythm & Blues, Reggae and Disco. 33 1/3 LPs, 45s or 78s, Larger collections of at least 100 items wanted. Please call John, 301-596-6201.

COLLECTOR BUYING MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, weapons, knives, swords, bayonets, web gear, uniforms, etc. from all wars and countries. Also Lionel Toy Trains, and coin operated machines. Will pay top prices for my personal collection. Discreet consultations. Call Fred, 301-910-0783.

Thanks for reading the Beacon!

ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE Clinical Research Studies Alzheimer’s Caregivers Study . .13 Elderly Falls Study . . . . . . . . . .12 Exercise Research Study . . . . . .13 Former Smoker Study . . . . . . . .12 Memory Loss Study . . . . . . . . .12

Dental Services Denture Doctor . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Maryland Center for Periodontal and Dental Implants . . . . . . . .10 Northern Parkway Family Dental 9

Education CCBC Senior Institute . . . . . . . .15

Events Boomer Business Summit . . . . .28 Myerberg Center . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Financial Services Bennett Senior Services . . . . . .19 Debt Counsel for Seniors and the Disabled . . . .16 First Maryland Disability Trust . .7

Jeffrey Cooper . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 JS Richardson Insurance . . . . . .17 PENFED Credit Union . . . . . . .18

Hearing Services Hearing & Speech Agency . . . .11

Home Health Care Options for Senior America . . . .22

Housing Bayleigh Chase/Integrace . . . . .25 Brightwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Buckingham’s Choice/Integrace 25 Charlestown/Erickson . . . . . . .13 Christ Church Harbor Apts. . . . . .4 Cove Point Apartments . . . . . . .23 Evergreen Apartments . . . . . . . .23 Fairhaven/Integrace . . . . . . . . . .25 Gatherings at Quarry Place/Beazer Homes .3 Greens, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Linden Park Apts. . . . . . . . . . . .29 Oak Crest/Erickson . . . . . . . . .13 Park Heights Place . . . . . . . . . .22

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Park View Apartments . . . . . . . .24 Shangri-La Assisted Living . . . .27 St. Mary’s Roland View Towers .4 Virginia Towers . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Weinberg Park Assisted Living .14

Legal Services Frank, Frank & Scherr Law Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Law Office of Karen Ellsworth .19 Southard & Greenbaum, LLC . .17

Medical/Health Adult Day Health . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Advanced Center for Plastic Surgery . . . . . . . . . .7 Dr. Richard Rosenblatt, DPM . .15 Dr. Stuart Goldman, DPM . . . . . .4 Hamilton Foot Care . . . . . . . . . .11 Maryland ED Therapeutics . . . . .8 MedStar Health Cancer Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Physical Therapy and Wellness Center . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Skin Cancer EB . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Services Global Messenger . . . . . . . . . . .29 TechMedic4U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Shopping Perfect Sleep Chair . . . . . . . . . .32 Radio Flea Market . . . . . . . . . . .26

Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation CommuniCare Health . . . . . . . . .8 Keswick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Manor Care Health Services . . .10

Subscriptions The Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Theatres/Entertainment Toby’s Dinner Theatre . . . . . . . .26

Travel Eyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Festive Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Jewish Museum of Maryland . .25 Nexus Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

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MARCH 2017 — BALTIMORE BEACON

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